Alexandria
by aestheticisms
Summary: Let's get lost. - VolknerJasmine, on an indefinite hiatus.
1. and it started on a lonely day

_alexandria_

**(the ocean called their name.)**

* * *

**it started on a lonely day**

* * *

Jasmine of Olivine, the girl wearing a sea-foam green dress, scanned the area, her eyes flickering ever so slightly at random moments. The skirts of her newest outfit tossed and flipped, unsure of whether to stay attached to her thighs, or to show them. She hated the dress with a burning passion, constantly having to keep it in place with ringed fingers, but the outfit had been a small blessing in its own right. It had brought her here, to Sunyshore City.

The city was lively, that was certain. Wingulls cried overhead, as the hot, blistering, unforgiving sun, shone upon the solar-powered metropolis. The brunette girl wandered around aimlessly, hoping that she would be able to get out of the sun for a couple of seconds. She ended up under an elevated promenade, and the girl sighed in relief. She would allow her body temperature to lower for a couple of minutes and then force herself to go back outside to the sun.

Why was she here anyway?

Oh yeah, Falkner. That's why she was here. The bit about the dress was a pleasantry, a nice little lie to keep Whitney of Goldenrod content with herself long enough not to come looking for her.

* * *

_"Oh, come on, Jazz." The blue-haired male smirked, lips pulled into the widest of gestures, teeth glinted against bruised skin. A drop of liquor trailed down his cheek, slid past his jaw, and landed on his collarbone. The pulse of the music, the brightness of the fluorescent lights they stood under, reflected in that little, disappearing drop. When it landed on the floor, the spell was broken, and Jasmine flinched, unaware she had been captivated by the minuscule liquid. _

_She took the moment of lucidity to roll her eyes. "No, thank you." She sniffed, and turned the other way, walking purposefully towards the main building. It was about time to leave the party, anyway. A gym leader get-together, correction. Cynthia had forbidden alcohol of any kind, it was a business rendezvous, the Sinnohian stated grandly, before getting herself absolutely smashed and on to the lap of one of Unova's young and attractive gym leaders. Jasmine pitied her, the blonde woman was new to the entire social life aspect of the job. She didn't know that when someone forbids alcohol, it was bound to show up. This time, Sidney from Hoenn had done the job of smuggling the drink in, and the other leaders drank greedily. After months of work, many sought the meetings as a form of respite, and free booze._

_Except Jasmine. She found the practice distasteful, mostly because she was still part of the younger leaders, making her unable to drink, even if she wanted to._

_Not that she did. If she really wanted to, she could've gotten Blue or Erika to deliver a bottle of the finest champagne to her hotel room door. _

_"Where are you going?" Falkner hiccuped, stumbling towards her. His face was contorted into the perfect mask of confusion, the light source from the party made him look paler than usual. She grimaced, and gave him a fleeting glance. This was so not her thing, dealing with drunkards was a mess she left to the prettier trainers._

_"I am going home. This party is stupid." The brunette rolled her eyes, and started to collect her things, headed toward the coat rack for her ivory cloak, an ordeal that hit her hamstrings without heels, and a lovely hood that made her invisible to the outside world. She would pick up her cape there, and then her purse with one of the nameless ace trainers who made a habit of crashing the parties, only to end up serving the elite. _

_"Oh, all right then," Falkner slurred, as he lunged for the girl, grabbing her wrist. Jasmine flinched at the contact and her confidence skyrocketed to an all time low. She wiggled away from his touch, burning against her skin. Her foot landed on his shin, the kick enough to jolt him from continuing whatever he had planned for the evening, she scowled as the blue haired flying master grimaced and lurched from the hit. _

_"Don't touch me, you piece of shit. Get sober, and we'll talk." She glowered and turned away from the male, skulking away to another corner of the pathetic ordeal. She was tired, annoyed, irritated, any other word she could find that ended with the 'ed' suffix, that was what she was feeling. Her brown mane was a liability at this point, she rummaged for a hair tie in her cardigan pocket, and pulled the tresses back in a ponytail. She was going to get out, call a cab, head to the nearest train station, and take the first train back to the hotel she staying at. Sinnoh's Battle Frontier was a pain in the ass, and had no lodging to speak of, except for a little hideaway in the Resort Area. There, she would go to sleep, and as soon as the morning broke, fly away _

_Until then, she had to maneuver herself through the inky dark and strobe lights._

_Falkner wobbled behind her, pleading for forgiveness in his altered state of consciousness. Jasmine promptly ignored him._

_"Jesus," A newcomer let out a low whistle at the sight, his voice was acidic. Jasmine and Falkner both turned to face the newest addition to that night's dramafest, and were shocked with what they saw. The Violet City native let out a gurgling noise, and Jasmine pressed her fingertips against her lips with a gasp. _

_He was gorgeous. His face was stone, features chiseled into an almost amused glance. His eyes were the color of the ocean, an ever-conflicting blue, the color dripped from iris to skin, bruised. A fighter, maybe? His hair was a light blonde, the color of lighthouse shine and sunrise and freshly baked sugar cookies and Jasmine needed to stop thinking about that hair. He wore a military-like uniform, but a soldier in blue skinny jeans, black boots, a black shirt covered by a blue jacket was mostly unheard of, so she was filibustering at this point. Maybe he was in some special division, where the main requirements were to be incredibly attractive, and incredibly cold. _

_Falkner shattered. "If it isn't the _Shining Shocking Star_." Jasmine heard the unspoken plea-please don't hurt me, my face is perfection on a stone slab, oh my god don't hit me thanks okay please no-and tried not to laugh. It was about time she left, though, she didn't want to be known as the girl who got Falkner's ass handed to him via pretty boy from Sinnoh._

_The blonde ran a hand through spiky hair, and shrugged. "My reputation precedes me. I hope you're not causing trouble tonight, Falkner. I thought Lance had a conversation with you regarding your drinking?" The question hung in the air, and the flying type leader shrunk underneath the authority from another region._

_Jasmine attempted to leave, but every eye was on them, even the most intoxicated of leaders were staring, eyes glassy and bright. Alder of Unova was already on his feet, heading toward them with intention of breaking up a potential fight. He was intercepted by Steven Stone, who after his stint as an actor, wanted to see some action. Both men quarreled and bickered while Bugsy let out a whoop, and a cheer of "_fight, fight, fight!"

_"Shit, sorry, man, uh, didn't realize Jazz, was your girlfriend, and..." Falkner slurred his way through an excuse that seemed plausible enough, while slowly backing away from the stoic blonde. _

_Jasmine made a choking noise._

_The Sinnohian let out a short chuckle, dark and sad. He grabbed Falkner off the floor, calloused fingers clutched the blue fabric of his traditional Johto garb. The click of cameras perforated the otherwise serious atmosphere, the band Cynthia contracted from Falltree City were belting out an electric swing, much to Champion's horror. _

_"Well, that's a new one." _

_With that, a fist collided with Falkner's usually darling, award winning face, and blood spurted from the male's ivory nose. The blue haired male howled and clutched at his broken appendage, while the blonde dropped Falkner to the floor and turned toward his unwanted crowd. The trainers sifted and thawed, leaving Jasmine slightly apart from the rest of the group. She let out a squeak, unaccustomed to being the center of attention, and grasped for straws, hoping to get out of being in the limelight. _

_Too late. The blue eyed miscreant was already walking toward her, head tilted._

_"Are you okay?"_

_His tone was concerned. _

_The girl nodded mutely, eyes wide with anxiety. The party came to a crashing halt._

_"Oh my...oh my god...yes...oh my god..." Jasmine stammered, unable to finish her sentence. The man gave her a nod, turned away, ready to leave, and finally the brunette was able to complete her thoughts. "What's your name?"_

_The man's head turned towards her slightly, his deep blue eyes concentrated on her, only on her. _

_"Volkner." _

* * *

Jasmine sighed at the memory, holding a particular fondness and terror for the man that unconsciously defended her honor. Volkner, he said. The instant the party concluded, Jasmine approached Cynthia and asked about the blonde. Cynthia was shocked by the question, most leaders were knowledgeable about other region's upper crust, but answered it anyway, after wiping off black lipstick from her left cheek. Volkner was the eighth gym leader of the Sinnoh region, and was located in Sunyshore City.

Now, here she was, waiting for a miraculous cloud to cover the harsh sun. With that done, she could dash to Sunyshore Gym, say her thanks and be on her way.

Maybe she would take the advice someone gave her upon leaving Johto-who was it, Erika?-and join Sinnoh's Super Contests for a spell. After winning, or losing miserably, she would go home, back to her Amphy, back to her lighthouse, and back to Olivine.

Miraculous cloud spotting! Jasmine hurriedly walked toward the local Pokémon Center, sighing in relief as a cold, gust of air hit her face. She took a deep breath, relishing the new climate before moving toward the resident Nurse Joy.

"Hi."

The nurse's eyes flickered in recognition.

"Jasmine of Johto. Hello." She gave Jasmine a warm smile and Jasmine returned it with a shyer replica.

"Hello, Joy. I wanted to know if there was a room here, for a day or two." Jasmine bit on her lower lip as Joy checked her computer. The pink haired nurse tapped a few things, here and there, before looking back at the brunette.

"Why yes, there is." She handed the gym leader a silvery key. "Are you on vacation here?" Jasmine pondered the question. Was she here on vacation? The center was bustling with beach goers and tourists, it wouldn't be that big of a surprise if she was conducting herself in the same manner.

After thinking about it, she decided she really wasn't on vacation.

"Well, not exactly. It's a business thing." Jasmine shrugged, stuffing the key in her white cardigan pocket.

"With our gym leader, Volkner?"

Jasmine blushed slightly, and Joy grinned sheepishly, realizing how that sentence sounded.

"Ah, well. I see. Enjoy your stay, Miss Jasmine."

Jasmine gave a nod and scurried to her room, a neat and simple affair, perfect for short stays. One twin bed, a dresser, a desk, and a large window. The brunette dropped her cardigan on the made bed and darted back outside.

She was off to the Sunyshore gym.


	2. you were standing at the door

**a/n:** I recently learned about epithets and they're one of my favorite literary devices. As you can see, Jasmine's epithets are 'Jasmine of Olivine' and 'Jasmine of Johto' but she'll get another one soon.

Review and Fave, even if you want to tell me how bad I screwed up their personalities. XDD

-RV

* * *

Jasmine of Olivine City, the girl with the green dress, arrived at the door that led to Sunyshore Gym. She was hesitant about knocking, but she took a deep breath as her fingers lightly rasped against the metal door.

To her surprise, the door was automatic. The panes slid open, revealing a mess of colors, yellow, orange, blue and green, scattered around the walls, maze doors, and moving tiles. It was as if she had entered an entire different world.

"Uh, hello?" Jasmine called out, her voice echoing in the seemingly empty gym. "Anyone home?"

"No."

Jasmine jumped back, startled by the man's voice. She looked around, and didn't find the man.

"But I hear you."

"That's great. Go home."

Jasmine narrowed her eyes, and placed her hands on her hips. "That's not very nice."

"Who said I was nice?"

"Well, I think that if you're who I think you are, then you're a nice person."

An exasperated sigh was heard and out of the earth, on a large pedestal, powered by electricity, the shining shock star of Sunyshore City emerged.

"You know, if it's…oh."

Green eyes met startled blue.

"Hello…Volkner."

Volkner blinked a couple of times before cracking the slightest of smiles. "If it isn't Jasmine of Olivine."

Jasmine blushed, the pink color settling in her cheeks. "Eh-uhm, you remember my name?"

Volkner jumped off the pedestal. "Well…yeah. You were one of the few who weren't drunk."

Jasmine looked down, her arms wrapped around herself. "Oh, I see…"

"So, what brings you to Sinnoh?"

Jasmine chewed at her lower lip before continuing. Her right hand absentmindedly began twirling her brunette locks around. "I sort of came here for the…Super Contests?"

"You asking me or telling me?" Volkner drawled, and Jasmine stifled a giggle. He sounded so…Cinnabar City. His accent was southern.

"Telling you. I also came to properly thank you for…erm…" Jasmine trailed on, her voice lost in her thoughts.

"No problem." Volkner said curtly. Jasmine's eyes were locked at her feet and she hastily bowed.

"I'll be leaving now."

Volkner tilted his head with mild curiosity and Jasmine scurried off.

Well, that was unexpected, the blond man mused as he arched an eyebrow at the spot where the brunette had stood.

Outside, and a half mile away from the Sunyshore Gym, stood Jasmine, her feet buried in the golden-white sand. Why had she freaked out so badly in there? Volkner probably thought she had some issues, or something of the sort.

Super Contests? Was that really the reason she had given?

"Ugh," Jasmine muttered, kicking her feet in the sand, causing the dust particles to fly everywhere. She took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. "Well," She started, hooking her hands behind her back as she leaned forward, letting the sea breeze play with her brunette hair. "I better enjoy my time while I'm here." She closed her green eyes and sat on the sand, her toes drenched in ocean water. She leaned back, her face towards the sun and her thoughts slowed, coming and going like the ocean's waves, crashing on the shore whenever they pleased.

And without knowing it, Jasmine had fallen asleep.

Her dreams were wild, untamed things, a far-fetched cry from her usual self. In her dreams, she kept seeing those cold blue eyes, the military wearing man, his façade was never-ending.

She wanted to touch his face, rip the mask off. She wanted to see the real him.

But Jasmine had already caught a glimpse of the man behind the mask. His eyes, when they weren't icy, shone with a sense of vulnerability.

That was when she woke up to the sight of those ice blue eyes.

The beach had changed since she fell asleep. The tourists were gone. The sky was drizzled with violet and orange, creating the perfect sunset, which reflected on the ocean. But the most noticeable change was the shining shock star standing over her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with a drop of concern. Jasmine spluttered incoherencies and jumped up.

"Were you _watching me?"_ Jasmine's cheeks lit up with embarrassment and anger. Who was he to watch her in her most incautious state?

Volkner shook his head. "No. I just got here; I'm usually here around twilight. You were on the sand, mumbling something."

"Oh." Jasmine let out the phrase before thinking about it. She blushed and looked at her feet, a habit that went unnoticed by the tall blond. "…I'm sorry. I have to go." She turned away from the man and began making her way towards the city.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Jasmine didn't look back. "Yes. I do."

She continued walking as Volkner let out a sigh.

Volkner walked back to the gym, his eyes moody and his entire posture slumped. There was something about the Olivine native that made his head hurt. She was a puzzle he wanted to solve. Her green eyes, when they weren't looking at the floor, were always distant. As if she was looking at the something very far away, maybe years into the past. Those green eyes had the power to look through your soul and back.

Maybe that was why he felt so unnerved, Volkner decided, ignoring the nagging feeling that resided deep in his chest. The electric type master staggered towards his living room couch, a blue, wrecked thing, and sat down, his face buried in his hands.

"Well, this is a shock." The voice of another man made Volkner groan.

"Flint."

A tall, lanky –albeit muscular- man entered the scene, with a ridiculous looking afro in the brightest of red. He wore a simple yellow tee-shirt and brown jeans with dark leather boots. "If it isn't my favorite emo kid! How are you, Volk?" Flint made his way towards the couch, sat down, and placed his feet upon the table across from them.

"I was perfectly fine before you came into the room." Volkner's eyes were directed at Flint. Flint snickered and patted the blonde's shoulder. "Aw, come on, I'm not _that_ bad!"

"That's true. You're worse." Volkner snapped, his eyes returning to their original object of focus. The lighthouse that shone outside his window.

"Wow, you're snappier than usual. Speak up!" Flint said, and then he furrowed his eyebrows together. "Hmm. Is it a challenger? Did they suck terribly? Or was it that you couldn't finish a trap?" Volkner remained unresponsive.

"Oh! I know, it's a girl! Wow, Volkner! Who's the unlucky girl who gets to watch you sulk twenty-four seven?" Flint hooted his eyes squeezed shut, tears running down from all the laughing he did.

"No. You're wrong about that. She's not just any girl."

Flint stopped his laughter abruptly. "Wait, there's a girl?"

"Yeah. She's not a romance or a fling. She's a tourist."

"A tourist? Volkner, you're supposed to snag a native. Not a tourist!"

"She's Jasmine of Olivine."

Brown-red eyes locked onto blue. "The girl with the long legs that spends her day looking at the ocean?"

"Yeah- hey. Watch it. I already had to beat a guy up for referring to her as a piece of meat." Volkner's tone of voice turned dark and Flint's eyes flickered with understanding.

"You were the one that beat the living heck out of Falkner, right?"

"Guilty as charged." Volkner, besides himself, let a smirk appear on his face. He could see that loser's face as he punched him. Pure horror.

"Sorry." Flint muttered, and turned away for a second. "So, what did this girl do to steal your heart?"

"She hasn't stolen my heart. She's just…so…" Volkner racked his brains for a word that was suited to the situation.

"Complicated?" Flint guessed.

"Yeah. Complicated. Like, why would a girl like her leave Olivine and her gym?"

Flint shrugged and leaned back on the couch. "Who knows? You should ask her."

"I did. She said she was here for the super contests. But she didn't seem so certain about her answer."

Flint turned towards the blond, his eyes serious for once in his life. "Well, maybe she's here for you."

Volkner arched a blond eyebrow and immediately discarded that possibility. Why would a stranger cross oceans to meet someone she's only seen once?

Well, Volkner decided, as he mentally jotted that down. Maybe that was just another piece to the puzzle.

Jasmine stood outside on the balcony that came with her room. The cold sea breeze didn't do anything to the Olivine native. She was used to the coast's weather. It was usually cold, but it didn't really matter. Her green eyes stared at the lighthouse, whose light went in circles, guiding those at sea.

How was Amphy doing? Her mind wandered towards the Amphoros that powered up the lighthouse. Did Sunyshore's lighthouse have a pokémon that dedicated its life to keeping human and other pokémon safe? Jasmine pondered upon that and came to a solution. She would visit the lighthouse tomorrow. After all, she only had tomorrow left in her Sunyshore excursion. She would go to Hearthome the day after.

Maybe she would see him.

Maybe. Good thing Jasmine was a firm believer in that word. With a yawn, the petite brunette padded back to the room, lifted the covers of her rented bed and slipped in, the blankets soft against her skin. Her eyelids slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of nothing but the ocean waves.


	3. like a nonsensical ghost

**a/n:** this is an unexpected chapter. I was originally going to change the ending but decided not to. XD

Review and Fave, even just to tell me how bad I ruined Brendan/May's lives~!

-RV

* * *

**-like a nonsensical ghost-**

Volkner of Sunyshore, the shining shock star, pride of his city, opened his eyes slowly the following day. Sunlight shone bleakly from his frosted windows, and he could practically smell the ocean.

Wait, who the heck had left his window open? Volkner shook his head and rolled off his messy bed. He ran his fingers through his dirty-blond hair and peered outside his window. Outside, he could see the swarms of people – that looked like ants on a hot day, idiots, what were they doing outside? It was seven in the morning! – the familiar ocean the same color of his eyes, and the lighthouse.

Oh, the lighthouse. Volkner smiled slightly at the memory.

_"Volkner?" _

_The young boy looked up at the sound of his name. His teacher, a kind woman with brown eyes, smiled at him._

_"Are you listening to the tour guide, Volkner?" She asked softly, kneeling down to be at eye-level with her student. The blond ten year old shook his head. The older woman furrowed her eyebrows._

_"Why not? Does this not interest you?"_

_ Volkner sighed and pointed outside. "It's the way he explains it. He doesn't care about the lighthouse. All he cares about is getting through it fast enough so that he could go home."_

_The teacher leaned back and hid a smile. "Do you like this lighthouse, Volkner?"_

_Volkner nodded, his eyes shining with something that the teacher hadn't seen before: life. "Yeah! It's really cool how this entire thing is run by electricity. And how it's used to protect pokémon and humans from crashing into the shore! When I grow older I want to learn how this entire thing works, you know?"_

_ The woman sighed, and with a smile she took the boy's hand. "Come on, go back to your group."_

_Volkner did as he was told and marched back to his fellow ten year olds. When the tour guide began asking the students questions, Volkner raised his hand._

_"Mr. Tour guide, whatever your name is," Volkner started, as the tour guide cocked an eyebrow at the young boy. "Do you care about the lighthouse?"_

_The tour guide sputtered and looked around shiftily. "Of course! It's the city's pride and joy!" _

_Volkner narrowed his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away, towards the back of the group._

Volkner remembered that day as if it had happened yesterday. It was the day he knew what he liked doing: messing with electricity. Now, eleven years later here he was, the head engineer on the Sunyshore Sunshine Project. He was the one who was converting everything to solar energy, including the lighthouse. The sun would power the lighthouse up in the day, and the lighthouse would run on the extra energy during the night. If the solar batteries were to run out, then they had the electrical back up.

"Hmm…" Volkner stared at the lighthouse, as if he was trying to find out the meaning of life just by staring at the contraption. "I wonder where she is today."

With that, he began his morning ritual. First he picked up his comforter and tossed them back on the bed, leaving nothing but his shoes on the floor. Volkner didn't bother making his bed; he would do that later. He made his way towards his closet, grabbed gray jeans, a simple black shirt, and his signature blue jacket with orange orbs on the shoulders. Clothes in hand he entered his bathroom, took care of his shower, brushed his teeth, and ran a comb through his unruly hair. After that he went downstairs and almost keeled over when he saw the familiar afro-sporting elite four member.

"FLINT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY COUCH?" Volkner's voice had scaled to dangerous heights and Flint responded by giving the man a lazy grin.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm watching Sinnoh Now while enjoying some cereal." Flint gestured at the running television set, showcasing the most recent contest that took place in Snowpoint City. On the screen, a young black haired teen twirled and dance, synchronized with her pokémon. Her foe didn't stand a chance against the girl's powerful Empoleon and psychic Gardevoir.

"It's nice to know you spend your morning watching young girls, but get off my couch and do it at your house." Volkner said flatly, turning the television off. Flint rolled his eyes and turned it back on.

"Don't be such a spoil-sport and go find the brunette girl you were crazy about yesterday." Flint drawled, fluffing up his afro absentmindedly, and then returning to watch his contest.

Volkner sighed in exasperation and exited his Gym/home. He would go to the market, grab a quick breakfast –being that Flint now ruled his kitchen and living room- and stop by the lighthouse before heading to the beach. Nodding in self-approval, Volkner headed to the street market.

The market was a clash of colors, sounds, and scents. They would be selling Magikarp in one stall, and chocolate covered Pecha berries in another. You never knew with these markets, some days, Volker thought darkly, they would bring Sharpedos or Beedrills. Volkner had been the unlucky victim of both attacks and had immediately called on his Luxray's help and defeated the horde of vicious pokémon.

He also had to pay for the stall damages, but that was a different story.

The shining, shock star of Sunyshore shuffled through the crowd, keeping his head low, hoping that no one would recognize him. He hated his picture on television, newspapers, magazines, or…worse, the internet. He hated the World Wide Web, that was the cause of the 'ex' status of his last girlfriend. Candice of Snowpoint and Volkner had a rocky relationship, but when the tabloids caught sight of Candice flirting with another man – Darach of the Battle Castle to be exact – Volkner had cut their relationship like scissors to paper. His feet scuffed the floor and Volkner suppressed a smile when he arrived at his destination.

He had arrived at his favorite café in the entire region of Sinnoh, 'Le Rue Ensoleillé' which meant 'the sunny street.' The café was painted in colors of yellows, greens, soft blues, and dark terra cotta. The tables were mahogany, placed in corners and sides. The chairs matched the tables, some chipped, being abused by regular customers throughout the year. Volkner took his usual seat, a corner booth that had a window right next to it, letting the seated view the busy streets of Sunyshore, as well as its famous ocean.

"Well, if it isn't Volkner! How have you been?" The cheery barista gave Volkner an energetic grin appearing on her face. She was young, that was true. Her hair was the brown of a tree-trunk, cut in a fringe, with long layers framing her face, while short layers were in the back.

"Hello, May. I've been fine. How's Brendan?" Volkner gave the waitress a small smile, and May continued prattling.

"Brendan? He's been great~! He's challenging the Sinnoh League as we speak! I was supposed to go meet up with him later today…during his challenge with Cynthia! But I can't get the mean manager to find a replacement for me!" May pouted, her sapphire blue eyes going cloudy for a millisecond. "But that's enough about me! What would you like today?"

Volkner didn't even blink. "I would like the usual, please."

May nodded and bounced off, leaving Volkner to his corner of 'doom' as Brendan, the waitress's longtime boyfriend had dubbed it. Brendan was a trainer, while May was a coordinator. Brendan had decided to continue his career while May took a break. They were polar opposites, really, but even so, they had chemistry that Flint had coined "suffocating". Volkner rolled his eyes at the recollection.

"Here you go, hun." May announced, brining Volkner his coffee, no sugar added, and plate of eggs with hash browns. Volkner nodded his consent and May granted him another grin before hurrying off. Volkner ate in silence.

Ten minutes later, Volkner was out the door, bill paid, and sprinting off towards the lighthouse. He was running on pure instinct, his bones told him that he needed to get to the lighthouse, stat.

Jasmine of Olivine, the girl wearing the sundress, stared at the ocean from the lighthouse's balcony. The wind played with her brunette tresses and her eyes closed every now and then. She liked feeling the breeze in her face, the ocean mist in her nose. It reminded her of Olivine, of home. She would be home in a couple of weeks; she chastised herself, so no feeling of homesickness could consume her yet. She wrapped arms around her chest, a usual tendency for the petite girl.

Her ears faintly picked up the sounds of footsteps, but her brain didn't register them until a throat was cleared.

She turned around slowly, and tilted her head with curiosity as she saw who stood in front of her. A panting and tired-looking Volkner grasped the railing, in attempt to catch his breath.

"Hey." He finally said, after moments of silence. Jasmine smiled shyly.

"Hello."

She could see that his eyes didn't have that usual frost. Today they were filled with this glimmer…like sunshine.

"So, are you enjoying your stay?" Volkner asked casually, as if that was the only reason he had run two miles. Jasmine shifted from foot to foot, her anklet jingling lightly.

"Yes, actually, it's a shame that I'm leaving today."

Volkner leaned back, startled by her confession. "You're already leaving?" His voice was sharp, and he immediately regretted his voice inflection as he saw fear flash in the brunette's green eyes.

"Oh…uh, yes. I am leaving today. Later, by train." She murmured, talking to herself mostly. She was leaving, yes. But why leave when Sunyshore was already so familiar…

"By train?" Volkner inquired, his blue eyes focused on the girl's forehead. Her eyes were glued to the ground, and suddenly, he desperately wanted to lift her head up.

"Yes…I haven't gotten the tickets yet…"

"Why don't I give you a ride there?"

Volkner and Jasmine locked eyes for a hundredth of a second. That was enough for Volkner to have regrets in his invitation. Jasmine probably thought he was trying to…harass her or something!

"How chivalrous," Jasmine blushed, her green eyes returning to the ground. "But you don't even know where I'm going."

"You said Super Contests-" Jasmine was shocked, he actually remembered their conversation from yesterday! "So I'm guessing you're going to Hearthome."

Jasmine nodded. "Yes…that's where I'm going." Her eyes trailed towards the ocean once more, making Volkner's head explode with more questions. She always stared at the ocean. What was she thinking about? A memory? Or a regret?

"It's settled then. Meet me at seven." Volkner gave the girl a small smile and walked back inside towards the main building.

Jasmine let a smile creep onto her face, and the Olivine native turned back towards the sea, tidal waves crashing onto the shore.


	4. that had waited for me from the start

**a/n:** I like this chapter. I really do. I was listening to Imogen Heap throughout this thing, so you should check out her album 'Ellipse' to get the most out of this chapter. XD

Review and Fave, even just to tell me how their relationship is probably going too fast!

-RV

* * *

**-That had waited for me from the start-**

Jasmine of Olivine had traded her sundress for a much more casual outfit. She had slipped on faded blue jeans, a light green off the shoulder tunic, and kept her sandals. She looked at the room she had spent the night in once more, checking for any missing items. After her evaluation, she took her baggage and made her way towards the main floor. She dropped her pokémon off with Nurse Joy, waited ten minutes, and got the 'okay' for their health. Jasmine smiled at the nurse and exited the center.

Sunyshore at night was an entire new world. People came out of nowhere, on their way to the newest club, café, or outdoor exhibit. Lights flashed at any given moment, the stars were bright, and Jasmine found herself overwhelmed by the change. Olivine at night was quiet, people either at the local library, studying, or in the safety of their homes, laughing with their families over dinner. Jasmine quickly made her way towards the Sunyshore Lighthouse, where Volkner had told her to meet him. The clock was ticking dangerously close to seven, and Jasmine was nervous.

What if he had left? What if he had been merely joking and revoked his invitation? Both thoughts were horrible for the brunette to think about, so she shook them away. First things first, the Olivine citizen thought, she needed to get to the meeting place.

Mentally cursing her ridiculously long hair, she pulled it up into a pony tail, making sure that no strand was left untamed. Now that the weight of her hair had been lifted, she could run faster; after all, it was six forty-five and she needed another mile to go. To her outstanding luck, the brunette spotted a red afro.

"Uh, you're Flint, right?" Jasmine called out, as the redhead's head jerked slightly. Flint nodded, and the realization hit him. This girl, the girl that Volkner was apparently taking to Hearthome, was Jasmine of Olivine.

"Jasmine of Olivine! It's an honor to meet such a celebrity." Flint dipped his head slightly and Jasmine blushed in embarrassment. Did the people of Sinnoh really think that highly of the Johto denizens? She bit on her lower lip, and her green eyes slowly made their way to the ground. "What can I do for you, Jasmine?"

"Uh, I was wondering…if you could give me ride to the lighthouse. I have to meet…somebody-" Jasmine struggled with the words to say. "-There…soon. Like in fifteen minutes soon."

Flint's eyes flickered. So she was about to meet Volkner. And just her luck, Flint was feeling mighty generous.

"Hop on." Flint gestured towards his motorcycle- that Volkner hated _so freaking much , _due to the fact the blond had been about to buy it when Flint came home with it – and handed Jasmine a helmet. He would want to ruin his best friend's new love.

…if Volkner heard that, Flint would've been pummeled.

"Here, sit behind me and hold on tight." Flint commanded and Jasmine quickly did what she was told, wrapping her arms around Flint's waist. Flint started up the engine and tore down the cobblestone street that led to the lighthouse, laughing the whole way there.

* * *

Volkner paced around, his eyes glued to the cellular device in his right hand. He had stayed in the same outfit, packed whatever he could find in his closet, and pretty much broke every speed limit known to man to get to the lighthouse at six-thirty.

And Jasmine still _wasn't there._ Volkner was beginning to get anxious.

Had he scared her away? Did she think that he was some kind of…_thug _that was trying steal her away?

Wait, why was he so freaking worried? He was simply being a gentleman and taking the girl- was she even _legal? –_ To her destination. Free of charge.

Who was he kidding, certainly not himself. Volkner stuffed his hands in his pockets. He then took them back out and checked the time.

Six fifty-three.

Volkner walked as slow as he could towards the elevator.

Six fifty-four.

He got to the elevator, and reached out his finger to push the down button.

Six fifty-five.

His finger brushes against the down button.

Six fifty-six.

The elevator roars to life and begins its journey up.

Six fifty-seven.

Volkner waits for the elevator to arrive.

Six fifty-eight.

The elevator stops and Volkner leans back, his face flashing on confusion.

Six fifty-nine.

The elevator begins to go back up.

Seven o'clock.

Jasmine and Flint run out of the elevator and crash into a shocked Volkner.

Flint quickly picked and brushed himself off, attempting to hide his chuckles with a bad fake cough.

Jasmine's green eyes widened as she saw who she had landed on.

Volkner's cheeks turned the lightest red, as Jasmine's hands rested on his chest.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Jasmine cried, attempting to get herself off the blond. Volkner began laughing as Jasmine's eyes shone with absolute horror. They were in a compromising position, watched by various tourists.

_And Volkner was laughing?_

Jasmine couldn't decide whether or not to be happy or frustrated. This encounter had allowed her to listen to Volkner's laughter. Honest to goodness laughter. It was low, but it captivated the entire area. But she was practically on him, her legs tangled with his and her hands on his chest.

Volkner gently pushed her off, and pulled her up with him. "Are you okay?"

Jasmine reddened once more, and meekly nodded. "…Y-yes."

Volkner gave the girl a smile, as Flint fist-pumped behind them.

Operation Push Jasmine in front of him as soon as the elevator opened had succeeded!

"You're right on time." Volkner said indifferently, as Jasmine's cheeks turned even redder. That slight smile-smirk that seemed to be glued on his face gave her feelings she didn't want to comprehend. He made her giddy.

Wait, no. No, no, no, no. She couldn't be. She just met the guy for God's sake!

But she couldn't deny the butterflies that seemed to swallow her gut when Volkner offered his arm to her. She daintily took it, looking at the ground, hoping to hide her face. Flint snickered and placed his hands in a circle around his mouth.

"Hey, don't get married and not invite me!"

This made Jasmine face go bright red, horror written all over her features. Volkner rolled his eyes at the red-head and led Jasmine down the elevator.

The quiet that was around them wasn't awkward, but as if it had always been there all along. It was familiar. When they finally exited the lighthouse and made their way towards the cobblestone parking lot, Jasmine unhooked her arm from Volkner's and gasped.

"_That's your medium of transportation?"_ Jasmine was utterly stunned. In Olivine, cars weren't a necessity, but a hobby of people. They were pretty much obsolete. They walked everywhere, or used bicycles.

But Volkner's car…can it even be called a car? It was a piece of luxury. A black muscle car with a blue racing stripe. The roof was down, and that let them see the luscious leather seats. Two passenger car. A state of the art radio and security system. Holy crap.

"You seem shocked." Volkner said, with a tilt to his head, as if his God-made car was perfectly normal. Jasmine shook her head.

"It's just that…we're going in _that?"_ Her voice rose slightly at the end of her sentence.

"Is that bad?"

"No!" Jasmine said quickly, retracing her words. "It's just so…wow."

Volkner let out a short chuckle and opened the door for her. "Come on, Hearthome waits."

Jasmine nodded, still a bit hesitant about getting on. She took a deep breath and slipped into the vehicle. She quickly pulled the seat belt over her and clicked it in. Volkner closed the door and went around toward the other side where the driver's seat was. He opened the door and entered the car, closed the door and gave Jasmine a slight grin, after putting his own seat belt on.

Jasmine's eyes were focused on the blonde's lips. He had smiled all day today. She wondered if that was more than he had ever smiled in his life.

"This is your last chance; you can get off the car and get on a train." His voice was teasing, but Jasmine could read through his words. There was a warning.

"Take me to Hearthome."

Volkner placed the keys into the ignition and the engines came to life, and he put his foot down on the gas, and the vehicle sprang forward, ripping down and weaving through the streets of Sunyshore. He skillfully maneuvered the car through and fro, narrowly dodging the market carts or average pedestrian. The moon was still low in the sky, being only seven. The stars were bright though, and Jasmine could hear music blaring out of the clubs and outdoor DJs. Hip-hop, country, metal, indie, rock, she heard it all during that ten minute drive out of the city.

Volkner was calm and collected throughout this, his eyes always concentrated on the floor, as his fingers drummed against the steering wheel every time a new tempo was heard. But everything went silent as soon as Volkner got on Route 222, the route that would lead them to Lake Valor, their first objective on the road to Hearthome.

Jasmine leaned back, finding comfort in the chair's supple leather, as she sighed in relaxation. She felt her eyes drift, being lulled by the sound of ocean waves, and felt herself losing her battle against sleep. Slowly, her breathing softened and she knew no more.

Volkner, on the other hand, was as alert as, well, his last major challenger. He was a blond, lanky, boy that seemed to be living off of caffeine and sugar. What was his name…Barry, oh yeah? He was the most hyper mess Volkner's seen in his life. Seriously. As soon as he won his match against Volkner, Barry turned around and grabbed a girl- Dawn, was it? – And kissed her straight on the lips.

That was a very interesting day, Volkner admitted, as he averted his eyes for about second, to check on the Olivine girl. She was leaning on his shoulder, her head on his jacket.

Volkner smiled and continued driving. After all, Lake Valor was about six hours away.


	5. for some reason, i feel like i know you

**a/n:** **hi there~ another chapter of _Alexandria_ is up~! Hopefully, our duo will arrive to Lake Valor in the next chapter. *crosses fingers* **

**Review and Fave, even if it's just to tell me to go work on something that's not Pokemon related. XD**

**-RV  
**

* * *

**-For some reason, I feel like I know you-**

Volkner of Sunyshore, the resident emo and shock star, felt a tug in his gut. Something that he hadn't felt before. He waved it off, it had to be the ocean waves, the slow classical music, and the rhythmic breathing of a certain brunette whose head was on his shoulder.

Yeah, that must be it.

Volkner's eyes returned towards the road, trying his best to not change the radio station. He didn't want to wake Jasmine up. After all, she was the one that needed to conserve her energy.

The car hummed quietly, driving along the coast of Sinnoh. The scenery wouldn't be changing anytime soon, all Volkner could see was ocean, sand, and asphalt. His window was rolled down, letting the intoxicating scent of ocean mist waft inside, leaving Volkner relaxed. His grip on the steering wheel slacked for a second and then he shook his head. Pure concentration. He knew that people got into car accidents around these parts of the region due to losing their head to the ocean.

Jasmine stirred slightly, her head tilting back to her side of the seat, leaving Volkner with one less problem. The brunette now had her head resting on her opposite shoulder. The blond sighed and changed the radio station from classic to alternative rock. He needed some good guitar solos if he wanted to stay awake. Following this, he rolled up Jasmine's window and rolled down his. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his blue eyes never wavering from the road. Occasionally a wild pokémon would appear and he would have to swerve slightly, as not to hit it.

But that was fine; he knew how to control his car.

Hours passed by and Jasmine's eyes fluttered, her vision revealing a night sky, with the moon high in the heavens. She turned her head slightly, to see Volkner singing softly to the radio.

Jasmine feigned sleep, closing her eyes, and strained her ears to catch what the blond was singing.

"_Hey there Delilah, how's it like in New York City...?"_ The radio was playing the familiar song, and Jasmine found herself humming along to the tune. The guitar was calming, and Volkner's voice trumped the one of the radio.

"_Oh…it's what you do to me…what you do to me…"_ Volkner never took his eyes off the road, but his eyes had accumulated a hazy look, one that Jasmine knew was usually in her eyes. His eyes were the ocean, and he was swimming in his memories. The brunette felt the urge to tell him to look her way, look at her, giving her the chance to swim in his eyes, to find out more about him.

Of course, that wouldn't work out very well; she was supposed to be asleep. So Jasmine let the supposed military-man sing his song.

Another hour passed and the car kept driving down the changed road. The beach was far gone, and now forests filled Volkner's line of vision. The ocean scent was replaced with evergreen and the music station seemed to change, too. The softer melodies that had been emitting from the device changed into soulful sounds, bemoaning love and leaving it behind.

Sometimes he hated Jack's Mannequin. Sometimes. Not all the time, but tonight was an exception.

"_It's not so easy, caving in, I walked by your apartment twice today, while you were gone at work, and all the colors got so down…_"Volkner sang softly, the lyrics of 'Kill the Messenger' humming from his stereo. His right blue eye turned slightly, to check on Jasmine. The brunette was still asleep and Volkner wondered how she could sleep so much. Did she usually sleep a lot? Or maybe it was _his _sleeping patterns that weren't normal. After all, Volkner mulled, he was the one who lived off of five hours a sleep maximum.

"You're a really good singer."

Volkner's entire head turned towards Jasmine as he choked on his own laughter. "…and you're an odd case, Olivine."

Jasmine rolled her eyes at the blond and scoffed. "I'm asleep, ha-ha…."

Volkner shook his head and teasingly pushed the girl forward with his left hand. "You're awake now."

Jasmine shot the blue eyed man an irked glare. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the road?"

Volkner nodded. "That I am. But I'm getting ridiculously tired. You know how to drive?" Jasmine's eyes widened in horror.

"Drive? As in control this machine, uh no. As I said before, we people of Johto mostly invest on bikes." The brunette crossed her arms defiantly, much to Volkner's amusement. The blond rolled his eyes and turned towards the road once more. "It's not that hard, I can teach you."

Jasmine snorted, and shook her head. "No. There is no way you're teaching me how to drive. You of all people, a person I met two days ago!"

Volkner shrugged, the smirk still etched on his face. "Why, don't trust me enough to teach you?"

"No, it's not that…" Jasmine trailed on awkwardly, twirling her thumbs and biting her lower lip. How would she fix her sentence now? "I'm not very comfortable with machinery."

Then Volkner laughed. It was the second time Jasmine had heard it, and she couldn't get enough of it. The laugh pulled you in, gave you a warm, fluttery feeling…

Wait, a regular laugh can't do that. What's with the Butterfrees in her gut? Jasmine looked down and Volkner's smirk turned into a slight smile.

"You're sitting next to Sinnoh's resident machinery genius."

Jasmine began laughing, with her head back and her eyes shut. "Wow, you call yourself a _mechanic? _Volkner, you caused like, seven black-outs during your time as a gym leader!"

Volkner scoffed, rolling his eyes. "How would you know that, Olivine?"

"Well, Sunyshore, black-outs to the degree of yours are famous. Cynthia can't stop yapping about them." Jasmine said, with a smug smile. Volkner muttered something under his breath, as the Olivine native controlled her laughter.

Ten minutes later, Volkner suddenly made a right and continued down an old path. Jasmine blinked and scanned the area. Trees were everywhere, and they were pretty much blocking any moonlight from hitting the ground. The only source of light was the car's headlights, and Jasmine didn't know what scared her most.

The fact that they had abruptly changed courses, or that Volkner was grinning as he did said thing.

Volkner wasn't oblivious to Jasmine's sudden quietness. "Calm down, Olivine. We're stopping at a Pokémon Center. Whenever I go off on long hiatuses I end up crashing at a center." His voice was soft, even gentle, and Jasmine looked up, sighing with relief as she saw the familiar red roof. The car stopped in a designated parking spot and Volkner turned off the ignition. The blond opened his door, walked in front of the car, and arrived at Jasmine's door, opening it for her.

Blushing, Jasmine of Olivine got out of the car. Volkner opened the car's trunk and grabbed their bags, and Jasmine began walking towards the center. The local Nurse Joy was there, with a smile on her face, and Jasmine smiled slightly.

"Hello, Nurse Joy." She greeted.

"Jasmine of Johto, an honor. What can I do for you?" The Nurse asked, tilting her head slightly at the girl's lack of bags.

"Two rooms, please." At that moment, Volkner entered the center, giving Joy a lazy grin. Joy, now understanding the need for two rooms, nodded. "Of course." She rummaged through her desk and produced two keys, one of the Olivine native and the other for the Sunyshore citizen. "Good night."

Jasmine took the keys and the duo walked up stairs, looking for their respective rooms. Once they found them, Jasmine turned towards Volkner.

"Here you go." They exchanged their items, Jasmine getting her bags and Volkner his key.

Volkner gave Jasmine a nod and turned towards his room, and Jasmine took a tentative step. "Uh, Volkner?"

The blond stopped walking. "Thank you."

Volkner nodded and gave a wave before disappearing into his room.

Jasmine sighed and entered her own, wishing that the ocean waves were there to comfort her tonight.

* * *

**a/n: obviously, I don't own Jack's Mannequin or the Plain White T's. Why these two songs made it into my fiction? Well, these songs came up on my shuffle as I was typing this.**

**Yup.**

**Thank you~ Review and fave? Maybe? (:**

**-RV  
**


	6. and i can't remember from where

**a/n: DUN, DUN, DUNN! Flint makes another cameo. Trust me, he'll be back in the story soon. ;) **

**Most of you are like: 'Vi, dude, Volk and Jas haven't kissed yet. WTF?' **

**Here's my answer: It's been three days since they've met. Both parties wouldn't be the kind of type to make-out with sort of strangers. XDDD Trust me, this is pure fluff until about...maybe...the next chapter. XDDDDD**

***shot***

**Review and Fave, because I'm sort of dead right now! :D :D :D **

**-RV**

* * *

**-and I can't remember from where-**

Jasmine, the girl currently fixing her brunette locks, heard a knock. She whipped around, and tilted her head. Who was knocking at…eight in the morning? Was anyone awake at that hour? Puzzled, the Olivine-born approached the door and cautiously opened it.

Outside of the door was Volkner, bedraggled, with his hair sticking up in the most unusual places. It was wet, which made him look even more comical.

"Good morning," He said gruffly, as if he was still trying to wake up. Jasmine's hand flew to her mouth, in an attempt to hide her giggles.

"Good morning to you, Sunyshore. Don't you look so bright and happy today?" Jasmine chirped, causing Volkner to roll his eyes and run hand through his hair.

"Don't taunt me, Olivine. I'm tired." The brunette simply smiled and turned back towards her mirror, walking with purpose. She grabbed her brush and quickly finished brushing her hair. After that, she put her brush back into her toiletries bag and picked it up.

"All right, are you ready to go?" The girl looked around, and Volkner was gone. She sighed and picked up her remaining bags, her key, and exited the room, scanning the area for the missing blonde.

'_Where did he go?'_ Jasmine thought, as she reached the staircase and began descending the flight of stairs. She arrived at the main floor and was greeted by the local Nurse Joy.

"Hello, Miss Jasmine, your companion just left. He's waiting outside." The helpful pink-red haired woman commented and Jasmine gave her a smile.

"Thank you, Nurse." She dropped her key off and ran out the door, hoping that Volkner hadn't gone very far. Maybe he went to go get coffee.

Wait, they were in the middle of nowhere, he couldn't have left anyways. Jasmine's assumption was proven correct, as she spotted the blond waiting in front of his luxury car. A cup of coffee was in one hand, while the morning paper in the other. He was reading the front page article, and Jasmine hid a smile. She would've never guessed Volkner was the morning newspaper kind of guy. Most people look at the news via their Pokégear or Pokétech, all depending the region you were in.

"Hey." Volkner said nonchalantly, taking a sip from his cup of coffee. "We have two hours left. We'll be arriving at Lake Valor soon. After that, we'll eat a quick breakfast there and keep going. Maybe if we're lucky we can get to Pastoria City before nightfall." Jasmine nodded and Volkner opened the car's trunk, allowing Jasmine to fix her bags in whatever order she preferred. The man walked towards the passenger seat and opened Jasmine's door, a move that no matter how much times was performed, Jasmine still blushed over. She slid into the car and Volkner shut the door and entered via the driver's door.

"All right, of to Lake Valor." Volkner announced unceremoniously, as Jasmine sunk into the comfort of the leather seats. The radio was off, and all that was heard was the wind brushing against the windows. The car began to go backwards, and exited the center's parking lot. After passing through the road that had brought them to the center they got onto Route 221.

"So…" Volkner let the question hang in the air, a small part hoping that Jasmine would start a conversation. He had so many questions he wanted to know from the quiet girl.

"So." Jasmine said softly, her green eyes flickering towards the window, watching the trees zoom by.

"Do you have any family?" Volkner ventured, his eyes still focused on the road. Jasmine took a breath before answer, while twirling a long piece of hair with her right index finger.

"A mother and a father. They live in Olivine."

Volkner nodded, signaling that he had listened.

"How about you?" Volkner hesitated for a second before thinking of a…acceptable answer.

"I have a dad. My mom on the other hand…" Volkner tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "She took off when I was seven. That really killed Dad…"

Jasmine said nothing, her eyes glued to her hands, now on her lap. What should she say to that? Should she say anything?

"I'm sorry."

Volkner's lips turned up, a small sad smile. "It wasn't your fault."

The car turned quiet, it's passengers silent from the conversation. The Olivine native sighed and looked outside her window once more. It was a small comfort, however.

That's when Volkner's cell phone started ringing. The blond sighed in irritation.

"Can you get that for me, Olivine? It's in my pocket." Jasmine blushed, her face turning redder than a Tamato Berry. His…pocket?

"Oh, sure!" She squeaked, as she carefully reached for the device. Her long, delicate fingers brushed against the fabric of his jeans as she took the cell phone out. Quickly, she flipped it open and pressed the device against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Ah, hey Jasmine!" On the other side of the line, Flint was sitting on Volkner's couch, lazily resting his feet on the blonde's coffee table, while his unoccupied hand channel surfed. "What's up, you answering Volkner's phone calls now?"

Jasmine felt the heat rise to her face. There were various meanings behind that sentence and she knew exactly what the red-head had meant. "Flint, what do you need from Volkner?"

"Oh, put me on speaker. He's driving, right?"

Jasmine did as told and placed the call on speaker.

"What do you want, Flint?" Volkner said dryly, annoyed by the entire call.

Flint grinned before answering. "Just to let you know, you've had about seven challengers camping out here for you."

"How many of them are girls?" Jasmine arched an eyebrow at the question.

"All of them."

"Send them away then."

Jasmine gave Volkner a scathing glare and Volkner sighed and placed an index finger up, as to wait.

"All right-y! I'm ending this call, blah blah blah, and remember to stay safe!" Flint cackled before actually ending the call.

"Do you have something against female trainers, Volkner?" Jasmine's glare had intensified, completely miffed about the entire situation. A gym leader sending away a challenger was one thing, but sending them away for their gender? That was cold.

"Trust me, Olivine; if you were me you would do the same thing." Volkner said shaking his head in disapproval. "Those girls keep coming back for one reason: me."

"Explain." Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting the man's answer.

"They don't care about battling. They only began to train for the reason of being able to meet me at the end of their journey. Because of this, every time I see them I send them off. I can't give a badge to someone who uses their pokémon in an attempt to get a…" Volkner gagged for a second. "Date."

Jasmine was still unimpressed. "Either way, it's rude to leave trainers out, even if they are trying to…" Jasmine felt a flash of anger at the mention of the girls attempting to get a date with Volkner.

Wait, anger? Why was she angry over such a trivial matter? It was not a reason to get overworked for…they were probably love-struck teens. Yeah. Not real competition…Competition? When did this become a contest? Jasmine, snap out of it, the brunette's inner self mentally slapped herself.

"To get a date with you. They're probably naïve and young, we all were at some point in life." Jasmine finished her rant and sighed.

Volkner shook his head and said nothing, stunned by her passion for the subject. She was a feminist. Of course. Her silence didn't go unnoticed, either.

What had she been thinking about, before she continued her spiel? He would never know, obviously, her mind was so hard to get into.

A half hour passed by in the quiet. No one made a move to say anything, lest anger the other.

"How old are you, Jasmine?" Volkner broke the silence with the question that had been bothering him since their meeting in Sunyshore. On the girl's lips, a smile flashed for a millisecond.

"Nineteen."

Volkner let out a sigh of relief and immediately covered it with a cough. "Oh, you're pretty young for a gym leader."

Jasmine let out a laugh, and Volkner realized that this was the first time the girl had laughed. He put that away in his mental notes, hoping that he was getting closer to finding the puzzle piece that would finish his quest.

"As you, Sunyshore. How old are you, anyways?" The girl talked more, Volkner also noticed. She rarely stayed quiet, unless it was a bad conversation. He would see that she would bite her lower lip, take a deep breath, and then answer.

Those were the little details. How long have they known each other? Three days?

Why did he feel like he was falling in love with her, then?

It was ridiculous, Volkner shoved the idea away. Love. Love is a word that meant many things. Affection, maybe.

But to fall in love in three days…that was preposterous. Many would write it off as infatuation.

"Twenty one, Olivine. I'm twenty-one."

Jasmine said nothing and suddenly smiled. Volkner tilted his head at this, wondering what the girl found so amusing.

"We've arrived at Lake Valor. Let's eat!" The girl cheered, and Volkner began to chuckle under his breath, while pushing down the brakes. The brunette was right; they had arrived to Lake Valor. Volkner turned off the engine and opened his door, then opened Jasmine's, like always. Jasmine rolled her eyes. Even if she was a feminist, like she came off to be, Volkner mused, she still got a kick out of him opening her door.

"Come on, let's go grab some breakfast." The pair began walking towards the five star restaurants, one of the most famous in Sinnoh, all while making sure to keep their profile on the down-low. Besides Volkner, Jasmine also disliked the gossip mill and liked it better when she stayed out of it

"Welcome to Seven Stars…oh my." The waiter blanked for a second when he saw his customers. Jasmine of Olivine and Volkner of Sunyshore.

Both of them exchanged an uneasy glance.

Volkner gave the man a slight glare. "Hello, good morning. A table for two, preferably somewhere…private."

The man nodded quickly and snapped as a waitress appeared. She wore the standard uniform, a black skirt that hit her knees, a white button down, a black crossover tie, and a black vest. "Hello, welcome. Please, if you would, follow me." The girl led them towards a secluded table, behind a wall that hid them from most prying eyes. Jasmine sat down on a chair, and Volkner sat in front of her.

"This place is…fancy." Jasmine commented, her curious eyes scanning the area.

Volkner shrugged. "Yeah." He was nonchalant about the place. It wasn't as good as 'Le Rue Ensolie' anyways.

The waitress came back and passed out their menus. Jasmine ordered a plate of fruit and yogurt, sunny-side up eggs with two pieces of bacon, with a bowl of oatmeal and to top it off, a glass of orange juice. Volkner stared in disbelief. She was the first girl he ever ate with to actually eat something. He didn't comment on this and quickly ordered his breakfast: an omelet with ham, cheese, bell pepper, and tomato. He rarely ate something that extravagant, but he was at a five star restaurant, better make sure you appreciate the food.

The waitress took their order and disappeared, off to pass it on to their chef.

"How about we play twenty questions?" Volkner asked, with a sarcastic smirk on his face. Jasmine rolled her eyes at him and shrugged slightly.

"Sure. You first."

"What's your favorite time of the year?"

"Autumn."

"Favorite color?"

Jasmine scoffed before answering this question. "It changes from silver to gold."

Volkner smiled at that one. "Haha, you're the steel clad defense girl for a reason, huh?"

The brunette only smirked. "Next question, Sunyshore." The blond nodded and continued reading down a list in his head. In those fifteen minutes, he found out more about the girl than in the three days they've known each other. She disliked coffee, loud music, and people who lose the terms 'love' and 'forever' loosely. She liked indie, some techno, and country music. She liked smoothies and walks on the beach.

It was starting to get like a really bad episode of those dating shows, Volkner admitted. But that wasn't all he was willing to admit. When the girl was passionate over a topic, she would argue with him, until she was sure she won. It was a side he liked in her.

Maybe it was another piece of the puzzle.

After they ate, paid, and quickly walked out of the restaurant, with the usual stares and whispers from the onlookers, they arrived at Volkner's car and hopped back in. Ready to make it to Pastoria, Volkner slammed the gas and off they went.

Somewhere along the road, the ocean waves left them and were greeted by the marshy wetlands that surrounded Pastoria City.

"I never got to ask you my questions." Jasmine mentioned as they got onto Route 213.

Volkner, in reply, turned the radio off. "Ask away, Olivine."

"Is is true that you left your last girlfriend because it looked like she was flirting with Darach of the Battle Castle?"

The question had shocked Volkner so badly that he slammed the breaks. Thankfully, there was nobody else on the road besides them.

"…so you heard about our break-up?" The military man stared at the steering wheel, then shook his head and parked at the side of the road. He was pretty sure that he shouldn't drive while giving the speech.

Jasmine waited for his answer, her eyes focused on his blue. "Yes, I did. I heard it from my friend, Erika. She follows…gossip and other frivolous things I don't have time for." The girl's tone was soft, as not to ruin the already strained atmosphere.

"Candice and I already had a bad relationship. I dislike what she liked, and she didn't find any of my hobbies interesting." Volkner's tone was curt, sharp, and Jasmine didn't like it one bit. It was cold, as if he was the one braving the blizzards of Snowpoint.

"One day, she found a guy that could relate to her. Darach. I found out about it and ended the relationship. There's no point dating a girl that doesn't share your interests, or has no care for them." The conversation was over and he started to drive away.

Jasmine thought this over. _There's no point dating a girl that doesn't share your interests, or has no care for them._ That sentence spoke many unsaid words.

She could relate to it, really. When you're courted by someone who doesn't regard your tastes and interests, there was no point. You were both living a lie.

And that wasn't all. "Dammit." Volkner said suddenly.

In Jasmine's head, millions of unformed swear words bounced around like a hurricane. "It's raining."

"Thanks for that intelligent comment, Olivine. That's not all." Volkner opened the car door and examined the damage. "We're stuck here until the rain lets up." He entered the vehicle again. "Which can be…tonight…or tomorrow."

"To-to-_tomorrow_?" Jasmine squeaked. If the blond was serious about that…that meant…

She would be alone. In a car. With a ridiculously handsome man.

'God help me.' Jasmine shot a prayer to the deity above and left it at that.

* * *

**a/n: didn't see that coming, did you? XD *has a laughing convulsion***

**...erm, anyways. **

**-RV  
**


	7. some situationsbetter left remembered

**a/n: once upon a time...yeah, I'm tired and I have a lot of summer school work to finish. Guess what I'm not doing? Homework, of course! **

**Enjoy this chapter of _Alexandria._ Dun dun dun!**

**Review & Fave, even if it's just to tell me that if I keep procrastinating, I will be tracked down by Volkner's crazy fangirls. And beaten by them.**

**-RV**

**

* * *

****-some situations are better left remembered-**

Jasmine sighed, as she rested her head on her pulled-up knees, staring outside her window. It was raining, and she was going to make sure to write a letter to the Gym Leader of Pastoria City. Whoever he was. Mud on the road was simply unacceptable.

Or maybe it's just that she's a bit peeved at the fact that said mud was an obstacle on her trip to Hearthome.

She had asked Volkner earlier why they just couldn't keep driving. He had answered in a deadpan:

"Olivine, my car and mud isn't the best of combination in the world." No further explanation was given. He wrote the possibility of moving on off just like that.

The brunette's hazel eyes didn't move from what she was staring at. They were completely surrounded by trees, hills, and marsh-land…nothing else.

Jasmine was getting pretty bored. She sneaked a peek towards the napping blond. Volkner had decided to take a quick nap. She felt bad for him. She was a burden, who accepted his crazy offer to take her to Hearthome. He was sleep-deprived and she felt responsible for that. The Olivine native began twirling her long hair in between her fingers, and started braiding the locks. Well, she had nothing better to do…

Soon, she had braided her hair into one large braid. Jasmine placed a hair band on the end, making sure not one strand fell out of place. Well, that took the entirety of…ten minutes. At least the scenery changed, Jasmine thought hopefully, the moon was high in the sky, and stars were spread out on the dark blanket. The steel-type master smiled whimsically as she caught the shapes of famous constellations. Aquila, the Staraptor. Pisces, the two Finneon. Leo, the Luxray…

Volkner's signature pokémon was a Luxray. Jasmine tilted her head in wonderment. Did he choose the electric type pokémon due to its power and type, or was he inspired by the sky's story of the great Lion?

Well, what if he had asked her that question? What would she have answered? Jasmine assessed her possibilities. Well, her Steelix used to be an Onix when she made it her signature pokémon…well. That was because she had specialized in the Rock-type before her Onix evolved.

Hmm. That was a question that could be answered in so many different ways. Various trainers choose their signature pokémon because it was their partner when they traveled. It all depended on your history with it.

Volkner's blue eyes opened, as he rubbed them, all while stifling a yawn. "Hey Olivine…" He muttered groggily, as he stretched and turned towards the brunette. "I hope I didn't bore you too much."

Jasmine merely smiled. "It's fine…you needed some sleep."

Volkner looked outside his window and purses his lips. "Well, the rain is gone." He opened his door and stepped outside the car. Only to get back in, with a scowl on his face.

"Mud's still here. And in my shoes too." Jasmine giggled at this, and rolled her eyes.

"The great Volkner of Sunyshore is afraid of some mud on his boots. That's a shock."

Volkner only shook his head at the girl's comment. "You want to test the mud out, Olivine?"

Jasmine quickly shook her head and stifled another set of giggles. "Of course not, Volkner."

Volkner took this moment to lower the car's roof, allowing the moonlight to shine down on them. He reclined his seat back, his eyes staring at the sky. Jasmine titled her head and did the same, curious by the actions of the blond.

"You've heard of the legends of Sinnoh, right?"

Jasmine sat there, unsure of how to respond. Maybe a simple 'no'? "No…I haven't."

Volkner scoffed and turned his head towards the foreigner's. His blue eyes were focused on the girl's hazel, and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at how…fathomless his eyes were. You could drown in those eyes.

"Odd, most people would hear them eventually…"

"I'm from Johto, Volkner." Jasmine said, in an amused tone. Volkner shrugged and closed his eyes.

"In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. At the heart of chaos, where all things became one, appeared an Egg. Having tumbled from the vortex, the Egg gave rise to the Original One. From itself, two beings the Original One did make. Time started to spin. Space began to expand. From itself again, three living things the Original One did make. The two beings wished, and from them, matter came to be. The three living things wished, and from them, spirit came to be. The world created, the Original One took to unyielding sleep..."

Jasmine stared in awe. Volkner had taken on an entirely different personality when retelling the folktale. His voice had softened, and had filled with some kind of…respect for the 'Original One'. The way he told the story was enough to interest her: he had odd motions when he talked, he would occasionally move his hands, and his eyes would be open, distant, but aware to everything around him, as if he was there, inside the creation of the world, amidst the chaos.

"I see why they're very important." Jasmine murmured, and Volkner's gaze moved towards her. There was something new in that ocean, but the girl couldn't put her finger on it.

Maybe it was the fact that he didn't look like he hated the world? No…that couldn't be it. He never actually hated the world. He was simply…jaded.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the story, Jasmine." Volkner's voice was still soft, quiet. There was no noise, besides the occasional chirps of the Kricketune, or the flapping wings of a Noctowl.

"…Volkner, do you believe in love?" The question fell out of her mouth before she had the chance to stop it.

The blond, military-look-a-like, only sighed. "Love is…something unreasonable. An unreasonable affection towards someone; it's spontaneous and comes and goes as it pleases. It's…beautiful but…deadly."

Jasmine arched an eyebrow at the last sentence. He was acting so…out of character. Or at least, out of the character he had let her see these past three days. What had gotten into him?

"…I believe that love must come before it leaves." Jasmine replied, after a stretch of silence. "You can never truly be out of love if you were never in it. My mother always told me that if you cried over a boy, that he wasn't worth it."

Volkner grunted in response, and the quiet filled the open car once more. A breeze picked up, and a rare chill passed by. Jasmine found herself shivering, the summer night's weather causing a drop in temperature.

"Here," The man spoke suddenly, and Jasmine found herself being offered his blue jacket. Automatically, she refused it and shook her head.

"I'm fine, it's not that bad." She insisted, and Volkner rolled his eyes.

"Take it, Jasmine."

At the mention of her name, pronounced so…-not tenderly, tender was word people use when they're in love- gently, she found herself agreeing to the coat. Jasmine slipped it on, and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the jacket. Ocean mist and…some kind of grassy scent; maybe from the time he spent at the Sunyshore Market? Jasmine closed her eyes, imagining the stoic Volkner in a lively place. It didn't work out so well.

"You okay now?" Volkner asked, and Jasmine nodded in response.

"That's good…because I have one more question left."

Jasmine furrowed her eyebrows, and tilted her head slightly. "Oh yeah, your twentieth question."

"What's your opinion on love at first sight?"

The girl flinched at the question. If she had been driving, she would've crashed into something. "Uh…"

Well, that was an exciting answer. She believed in love…but had doubts on love at first sight. "Well, love at first sight is a plot device used in novels and movies. It doesn't exist. There's no way someone can fall in love just by looks alone. The man you think is perfect can be hiding an ugly interior under that pretty smile."

Volkner noticed the way she said those words. In a perfect nonchalance that rivaled his. She had a…secret she was hiding under her demure manner.

"I don't believe in it either." The blond said firmly.

'_But I hope what I'm feeling is true._' He mentally added. He felt like he was getting closer and closer to finding all the pieces he needed…only for her to take a turn when he thought she would continue going down the same path.

"But, one day, maybe. I believe that there's someone out there for everyone; some people are simply luckier than others." Jasmine's voice was airy, as if she was in another time. In her mind's eye, she imagined herself on the shore of Olivine, waiting for a boat that held the man of her dreams. When she was younger, that boy didn't have any striking features…but now…he seemed to be eyes. Blue eyes.

"It's late." Volkner's voice broke her out of her trance and the girl glanced at her Pokégear. It was well past eleven.

"I'm going to sleep," Jasmine yawned before the last word was finished. "'Night."

Volkner put the roof back up, and the last beams of moonlight disappeared, leaving the car in darkness.

"'Night, Jasmine."

The night took them hostage, and both blond and brunette fell asleep. Volkner dreamed of lighthouses and ocean waves, while Jasmine dreamed about beachside weddings.

Somewhere in the midst of their slumber, Jasmine's head fell onto Volkner's shoulder, leaving both parties warm, content, and comfortable.

Morning came too soon, and the brunette girl yawned and sleepily snuggled towards the very comfortable shoulder she was sleeping on…

Wait, what?

Her eyes widened and she took deep breaths to calm herself down. Just like Erika taught her! One Mareep, two Mareep, three Mareep…okay, all's well.

Except the teensy fact she had been asleep on Volkner's shoulder, and his hand was on top of hers. The contact felt…right. But of course, that was in the back of Jasmine's frantic mind, the first and most important thing was _how she was going to get off of him without waking him up._

It would be cruel-at least, that's what Jasmine told herself- to wake him up. So she let him sleep, and kept her head on his shoulder. His easy breathing was a small comfort, its rhythmic beat matching her own heartbeat.

The conversations they had last night…about mythology and love, it had hit home really. She had always associated the stars in her love life, but…to meet another individual that shared her thoughts was…oddly satisfying. The satisfaction of knowing you weren't the only one with the same ideals, same dreams.

Okay, same dreams probably didn't count when it came to Volkner. She was dreaming about _marriage_ on a beach that suspiciously looked like Sunyshore's.

'_These Butterfrees in my gut…_' Jasmine thought darkly, '_need to be killed._'

Falling in love with a perfect stranger was ridiculous, impossible. Especially someone like Volkner of Sunyshore, who had his own fan club. He had the perfect ex-girlfriend. He would never think about dating someone…far less superior.

Did she just imagine her dating Volkner? Yeah, something was definitely up.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Volkner stirred, his sleepy eyes making contact with Jasmine's hazel.

"Oh crap." The phrase left his mouth fast, but he did nothing to correct the problem. He was mesmerized by the girl's gaze, green like a never ending forest. A maze that mocked him, the maze that led him to the last piece of the puzzle.

Volkner lost a part of himself to that maze, most likely reason, as he slowly lifted his head up, his lips inching closer to the petrified girl's.

She moved her face, just in time, before her first kiss disappeared.

This brought Volkner back to reality. He sat back on his seat, shivers running down his spine, his hands slightly trembling. He took deep breaths as he attempted to shake off what had taken over him in that fraction of a second.

"The mud's gone." He spoke, turned the engine on. They drove away.

Jasmine was lost in the look of his eyes. An ocean and she was drowning inside of his gaze. It had been penetrating through her mind, soul, and utter being, while he ran through the forest that was her eyes. Both parties had been affected somehow, someway, in that lock of eyes.

But now, they were almost at Pastoria City, and not a single word had been uttered.

Jasmine was scared she had scared him away, that her own fear of herself turned him away.

Volkner was frightened by the fact he had been able to lose control so quickly…

That said, a long, new day awaited them.

* * *

**a/n: that my friends, is chapter seven. the tension is rising, and if you watch 'Gossip Girl' you'll get a certain line I stuffed in there. ^^ **

***hides from rocks people will be sure to thrown after this chapter***

**-RV  
**


	8. it's hard to live in the city

**a/n: Dun, dun, dun. Greetings from the lovely country of Mexico. Ignore random typos, I just needed to update. xDDDD**

**Review, please~! I need some feedback for this chapter. I'm afraid I murdered Volkner's persona. D: **

**-RV  
**

* * *

**-It's hard to live in the city-**

Flint yawned, stretching his arms as he threw the covers off his borrowed bed. The red-head stumbled off the bed that occupied Volkner's guest bedroom, and began stretching his legs out.

"Well, that's good stuff right there." Covering a yawn with his hand, Flint took clothes out of his suitcase at random and began his morning ritual. After showering and brushing his hair, he exited the room he was staying in-uninvited, obviously- and went off towards the kitchen. Flint had to eat quickly; he had a lot of things to do.

Like collecting junk from Volkner's room. The afro-wearing male chuckled to himself, as Volkner's desktop computer booted to life, and while his waffles were cooking in the toaster, Flint printed out the flyers he made the night before.

"I cannot believe I hadn't thought about this earlier! I love it when Volk's gone." He deposited his waffles on a plate, ate in a rush, dumped the dish into the dishwasher, and began looking for his shoes. In the corner, his Flareon simply shook its head, annoyed its owner's antics. Flint picked up the fire-type pokémon and placed it on his afro.

"All right, time to advertise the opening of Volkner's Home and Gym Tour~! Haha!" Flint ran out the door and began dumping flyers at the speed of light.

* * *

The traveling duo arrived at Pastoria City in less than twenty minutes, Volkner's car going at speed limits that would've landed them in jail if an Officer Jenny had seen them.

Jasmine had her knees pulled up against her chest, her face hidden by her long, brown, locks. She was contemplating what had happened this morning, before everything seemed to…spiral out of control.

Maybe a list of things that happened would help?

_'I woke up on Volkner's shoulder. That's one thing that happened. I didn't move from said-shoulder. He woke up and saw my head resting on said-shoulder. Then he tried to kiss me._"That last sentence sent shivers running down Jasmine's spine. How would've Volkner's lips felt like on hers?

The girl closed her hazel eyes and sighed. Even if he had kissed her, she would've probably ruined the moment. She's never kissed a boy, how embarrassing. Here she was, nineteen years old and probably the only person with virgin lips.

She snuck a glance towards the blond. He was driving around Pastoria, looking for the nearest Pokémon Center where they could get something to eat and rest for a bit. His blue eyes were distant, and Jasmine sighed. If she had only fallen asleep somewhere else…none of this would've happened.

They would be talking about everything and anything.

As Jasmine mused with her downcast eyes, Volkner tried not to look at the Olivine native. He was so ashamed of himself, no better than average cadet. He had lost to a girl's gaze, and his father once told him that was going to be the end of him.

After all, Volkner's father lost himself to the woman that became Volkner's mother.

The blond sighed and raised his gaze and smiled slightly. He had found the stupid Pokémon Center.

"We're here." He said, in a monotone. Jasmine stirred and nodded, her fingers wrapping around the handle that would lead her outside.

Volkner sat in the car, as Jasmine got off.

He really screwed up, didn't he? She didn't even wait for him to open the door for her. Volkner turned the ignition off and exited the vehicle.

The Olivine native stood still, waiting for Volkner to join her. The blond caught up to her and they entered the center, in silence.

Jasmine walked off towards the café while Volkner grabbed a table for two. When Jasmine returned, she came back with her meal. Yogurt, apple slices, and a bowl of cereal. Volkner absentmindedly wondered how the heck she was carrying all of it.

"Uh, Volkner? You can go grab something." Jasmine looked at him with a bemused look and Volkner slipped off his chair and went to the café's buffet line.

Jasmine sighed and picked at her cereal. She hated the way he was so quiet. It made her feel worse, and her morning just seemed to be getting darker and darker.

When Volkner came back with a cup of coffee and bagel, the girl still hadn't finished her cereal.

Volkner sat down, fiddling with his jacket's hem. His blue eyes were focused on the girl's hands, delicate and petite. He couldn't look in her eyes…

"Um, Jasmine?"

The girl's head titled up, her forest gaze focused on his oceanic. Volkner immediately regretted calling her attention; he was going to get lost again…

Get a hold of yourself, man! Volkner's conscience seemed to take on Flint's voice, as the blond shook his head, hoping to kick his conscience out.

"I'm sorry."

Jasmine smiled slightly, her sad eyes lowering back to her cereal. "It's fine, really. It was my fault, anyways."

Volkner shook his head. No, it wasn't her fault. "It wasn't your fault…Olivine."

"Shut up, Sunyshore. How about this?" Jasmine felt the color returning to her world, at the moment Volkner had muttered her nickname.

Her nickname, huh? When did she receive it, anyways? It had come out of nowhere, but she had rolled with the punches and bestowed upon the blond his own nickname.

"Let's just forget it and move on." Jasmine gave him a smile, and Volkner arched an eyebrow.

She better stop fake-smiling soon. It was nothing compared to her real smile. "All right, Olivine. Now, eat up. We're arriving in Hearthome today."

Jasmine nodded and began shoveling food inside her mouth, much to Volkner's amusement. The blond ate his breakfast slowly, and sipped his sugar-free coffee. He raised his eyebrows when Jasmine's plate was cleared and the girl blushed slightly.

"Uh…" She quickly hopped out of her seat, picked her plate up and threw the remains away. She then disappeared into the crowd, leaving the blond alone.

"Hmm." Volkner lowered his gaze, back to his cup of Joe, and sighed. Where did she go? A part of him wanted to go find her, but the other part, the sane part, told him to sit and wait her out. She probably went to the bathroom or something.

So, Volkner continued drinking his coffee, his left hand slightly tapping the table in impatience.

Finally, the Olivine native returned, and gave Volkner an apologetic grin.

"Sorry about that. You ready?"

Volkner shrugged and nodded. He threw his cup away and joined the girl. They walked out of the café, out of the Pokémon Center, and towards his car. They passed by various strangers, all giving them the same confused stare.

_"Who is she and why's she with Volkner?"_ Their expressions seemed to scream. Jasmine hid her face with her long hair, and followed Volkner. The ex-military man-at least in Jasmine's imagination- opened the door for her and she slipped into the vehicle.

When they were sitting down and drove down the route that would lead them to Hearthome, Jasmine posed a question.

"How much longer?"

Volkner blinked a couple of times and checked his watch. "Uh…we have about four more hours left. We'll be there soon."

Jasmine nodded and turned her gaze back to the forests that they passed by. Volkner didn't dare disturb her muse; whatever she was thinking about must have been important. There was a look on her face that he couldn't quite figure out.

In four hours, they would arrive to Hearthome City. What would he do after that? Would he stay and watch a contest or two? Did she even want him to stay with her?

Why was he thinking about the impending future? He wasn't scared, was he?

What would he be scared of? Volkner scoffed inwardly. He wasn't scared of anything.

Besides rejection. That was something Volkner feared above anything else. Maybe that was why he spent his days alone in the Sunyshore Gym...

But that didn't matter, anyways. He would simply ask Jasmine what she was planning to do when they got there. He would also ask the question of his staying. If she was okay with him watching a contest or two, he would stay. If not, then he would be back in Sunyshore…back to solitude…back to being annoyed by Flint.

Volkner pursed his lips slightly and his blue eyes flickered. What was the point of going back? He didn't have that much challengers anyways. He could take a vacation. After all, Cynthia's phone calls would cease and he wouldn't have to hear another word about how he was 'overworking himself by renovating the gym'. Two birds with one stone.

He quickly glanced at the girl, and a smile broke out on his lips. She looked really cute when she was thinking.

…did he just think she looked cute?

Well, there was the obvious appeal. Her long hair and big, shiny eyes was what would captivate the average man. But not Volkner, he saw below appearances. She was quiet, reserved, but that was fine with him. He liked serenity and the calm. Then there were her quirks. She twirled her hair when she was nervous. She looked down at her feet when she was speaking to someone that she didn't know well.

Suddenly, a questioned dawned on him. He hadn't asked her…would he ask her such a personal question? Volkner pushed the question down deep in his mind, attempting to ignore it. He continued driving the car, the scenery shifting from forests to ponds and meadows. Jasmine was focused on the window, as always, and the question seeded itself in the blond man's mind.

He would ask her, right before getting to Hearthome. The sane part of him, the one that was being repressed a lot today, simply tsked.

Hours passed them by, like sand in an hourglass. They were due in Hearthome City in a couple of minutes.

"Hey, Olivine?"

Jasmine recoiled, surprised by his voice and turned towards Volkner, a smile perched on her face.

"Yes, Sunyshore?"

"You ever kiss a boy?"

Jasmine blushed and looked down, her ears burning red. She shyly raised her eyes back towards Volkner and quietly shook her head, 'no'.

Volkner cracked a smile. "Really?" He found himself amused by her sudden shift of attitude. When she talked to him, she was much bolder, but when it came to personal questions…she was a shrinking violet.

"No…I've…well…" She tried to say a sentence, but she was tangled in her own explanation. How did she explain her situation to him? "…I've never actually gone out with someone…"

Volkner was about to speak, but she continued. "I've had…various suitors…but none of them caught my heart's attention…they were…two-dimensional. Very superficial…"

"Hmm…" Volkner was focused on the road ahead of them, and his smile grew a bit more. She was much more complex than he thought. Would he dare ask the question? He weighed out the pros and cons. If she said yes, he couldn't back down. But if she said no, what would that mean? Would that mean that she was simply not interested, or that she was actually that scared of the proposition?

With Jasmine, he simply didn't know. So he ignored his conscience, locked it into a deep part of his brain, and began running on pure impulse. He kept driving, Hearthome finally in sight. The towering city, one of the biggest metropolises in Sinnoh, loomed over them, and he maneuvered his way through the cobblestone streets. He spotted the Contest Hall and parked his car in one of the very few parking spots. As soon as he turned the ignition off, and Jasmine was inching towards the door, he tapped her shoulder, a grin on his usually serious face. Jasmine tilted her head, as shock coursed through her veins.

_'What is he thinking?'_ Jasmine's mind seemed to work on overdrive, her heart beating quickly due to the presence of Volkner's hand on her shoulder.

"What if I gave you your first kiss?"

* * *

**a/n: feel free to kill me. see you all in a couple of weeks~ ^^**

**-RV  
**


	9. these are the confessions

**a/n: I haven't read all your reviews yet. I will after I get over the initial shock that I passed the 40 mark with one chapter. xD Also, I'm quite afraid of them...**

**SO, HOW MANY OF YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO KISS? PFFT. **

***runs away* Either way, thank you for your reviews, I'll read and reply to all of you, VERY SOON! :D **

**(still not home yet, so very soon is used very loosely)**

**-RV**

**

* * *

**

**-These are the confessions of a messed up mind-**

Jasmine of Olivine, the girl currently being asked a question she wished people would never ask, took a deep breath and attempted to clear her hyperactive mind. There were various ways she could answer that question. All of them were a simply variation of the two letter word, 'no'. What had gotten into Volkner, anyways? What was with men who immediately want to kiss her as soon as she explained her situation to them? The nerve!

She felt her fingers wrap around the metal handle that would lead her to the outside world of Hearthome City. In three steps she could be on her way to the Contest Hall and forget all about the ride there. That sounded reasonable. But…

She sort of didn't want to forget about the ride there. She learned a lot about the man that was currently waiting for her to answer his question.

"You're hilarious, Volkner." She rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Feel free to watch a contest. Unless you're going to joke around like that." Volkner flinched, his cobalt eyes flashing with hurt. Well, too bad for him, Jasmine scoffed inwardly. That's what he gets for asking her such a personal question. She didn't like questions like that.

Then, he began to laugh. "Yeah, you got me…ha-ha." Volkner's attempt to clear the atmosphere, to lighten the load off their shoulders, was futile and he closed his mouth. He opened his door and walked around, and Jasmine didn't know why she didn't use the moment to get out of the car herself.

"Ladies, first." Volkner dipped his head and Jasmine simply shook her head and exited the vehicle. She didn't know what went on in that mind of his. He would ask her a ridiculous question, and then become a complete gentleman. Did he have a personality issue?

If you asked Erika and Whitney, they would probably scream 'Ohmigosh, yes, he does! And that's super hot~!' Jasmine simply cringed at the memories of her two friends, and shoved them into the back of her mind. Whitney was currently dating Morty of Ecruteak City, a 'troubled man with a mysterious past' according to countless tabloids. Jasmine didn't understand the basis of their relationship. Maybe it was Whitney's cheery aptitude that she didn't get. Morty was serious, and extremely dedicated to his research. When did they go on dates, anyways? Morty usually spent his off-days looking at Bell Tower, cursing Lyra's name for being the chosen one in Ho-Oh's return.

"Why thank you," Jasmine drawled, as she made her way towards the fancy building. It looked more like a cathedral than a place to show off your pokémon's talents. Did all the architects in Sinnoh get their inspiration from the Victorian era?

As Jasmine walked purposely to the glass doors, Volkner finally said something.

"I'm sorry about the question, Olivine. That was out of line."

Jasmine stiffened, and slowly turned her head towards the military-outfit wearing man. She gave him the slightest hint of a smile. "No harm done, right?"

Volkner scoffed and shook his head. "Yeah, no harm done."

Jasmine wasn't satisfied with the answer, but waved it off anyways. She continued walking, and finally passed through the automatic glass doors, and stood in awe at what she saw.

There were a lot of people and pokémon, four different reception desks, an entire wall that showcased contest winners, and various tables were positioned around, with glasses of iced tea and lemonade waiting to be drunk.

"Oh, hello there~!" Jasmine whipped around, to see a woman with short, blue hair. There were hair clips in her hair, and her eyes were navy blue. She looked like a mother, wearing a simple outfit with an apron over her blue jeans.

"…um, hello." The Olivine native said quietly, looking down. Her brown eyes slowly looked up, meeting the woman's kind stare and Jasmine found herself tilting her head up.

She smiled warmly. "Hello, you must be new around these parts." She extended her hand, and continued. "My name is Joanna."

Jasmine slowly took it, and gave it a shake. "Hello, Joanna. My name is…"

"If it isn't Jasmine of Olivine!" Jasmine turned around, along with Joanna, who smiled.

"Hello, Keira~!" Joanna greeted the brunette young adult, who simply grinned.

"Hey Joanna!" She hugged her friend and cooed. "Look at you! You look amazing darling~ Are you back for the contests?"

Joanna nodded as Jasmine stared with wide eyes, completely confused by the whole ordeal. Her breathing was quickening and she felt the room begin to spin…

Then a hand patted her shoulder.

"Calm down, Olivine." The simple sentence caused Joanna and Keira's conversation to cease.

"If it isn't Volkner! How are you, star boy?" Keira gave the blond a grin, and Volkner shrugged.

"I've been great, thanks."

That brought Keira's attention back to Jasmine. She scanned the long-haired brunette over, and Jasmine squirmed under her gaze. Keira snapped and a reporter appeared out of nowhere.

"Jasmine of Olivine, welcome to Sinnoh! Are you here for the contests?"

Keira's over-peppy voice made Jasmine bite her lower lip. Volkner slipped his right hand in her left, and the gesture didn't go unnoticed by the reporter.

"Um, yes?"

Keira let out a squeal, and did a little twirl. Joanna sighed, used to her friend's behavior. Keira flashed a peace sign.

"Fantastic! You look like a natural, but that dress…" She puckered her lips, while tapping her right index finger against her jaw. "It's got to go. Wardrobe!"

Suddenly, the contest hall was ablaze with activity. Those who were practicing for their contest debut murmured among themselves, as a handful of men and women appeared out of nowhere, dressed in uniforms, dragged Jasmine away to some unknown locale. The receptionists sighed and got up from their stands to calm the agitated pokémon down.

Volkner gave Keira a glare. "Keira, you do realize that Fantina ordered you to disband your wardrobe team a couple months ago, right?"

Keira shrugged and gave Volkner a wink. "Dah-ling, Fantina's never here~ she's usually off in France or something. Her trips are God-sends, really." She skipped away, following her team of fashion specialists. Joanna rolled her blue eyes and gave Volkner a knowing look.

"So, what is the shining shock star of Sunyshore doing with Jasmine of Olivine? Do I smell romance?" She wiggled her eyebrows and caused Volkner nearly to drop dead with embarrassment.

"No, Joanna. No romance, I'm simply her escort. She was in Sunyshore for a couple of days and was planning to come to Hearthome. I offered my help and she accepted." He shrugged. "Speaking of romance, do you know where your daughter is?"

Joanna arched an eyebrow, while placing her hand on her hip. "Dawn? What about her?"

Volkner let a slight smirk appear on his lips. "Last time I heard she was on the ferry to Lilycove with a certain childhood friend."

Joanna's face was drained of color as she immediately took out her Pokégear from her pocket. She punched in a number and muttered something under her breath as she walked away.

Man, it was so nice lying to get people of your case.

Jasmine looked around at the part of the Contest Hall she didn't know existed. There were dresses, tuxedos, accessories as far as the eye could see…and one of the dresses "belonged" to her, according to Keira.

Sinnohians were so…_odd._

Jasmine strolled through the aisles of clothes, occasionally looking at a dress. She didn't like most of them. They were very loud and attention bringing. She didn't like attention. She wanted a simple dress, something that matched her, and no one else.

"How about this one~?" Keira shoved a pink and white dress into Jasmine's arms. The cut of the dress was nice, an off the shoulders ordeal, the hem ended past her knee-caps. Everything else about the dress was not nice. It was a shade of white, with an electric pink bodice, and a large bow on the back.

"No thank you." Jasmine gave the dress back, and continued her own search. After wandering around aimlessly, she crashed into a clothing rack, and dresses fell on top of her. Keira and her uniformed assistants ran to her aid, but Jasmine waved them off.

"I'm fine, really." She muttered, and then tilted her head at the sight of a dress that landed in her arms.

"I want this one."

Keira's jaw dropped. "_That dress?_"

Jasmine nodded, picking herself up, taking the dress with her. It was white, a pure and simple color. The hem ended above her ankles, and it had two straps. There was a small bow on the front.

"But that looks exactly like your old outfit!" Keira whined, her usually cheery eyes, saddening. Jasmine smiled at the older girl's conclusion.

"Exactly." Jasmine never liked the green sundress with the red bow on the front. The only reason she wore it was to save herself from the wrath of Whitney.

Keira pouted but took the dress from the girl, anyways. "Fine, fine. I'll get this wrapped up for you. But! I'm going to add some petticoats to it, it looks awfully dull."

Jasmine gave the woman a smile. "Fine."

Keira and her team of fashionistas exited the clothing department, leaving Jasmine alone with her thoughts.

"…how did Volkner know how to calm me down, anyways?" She murmured, as she dusted off her green dress. She quietly walked through the aisles, closing her eyes for a second. She had been very mad at him about twenty minutes ago, how did he manage to get back in her favor without even trying?

It was kind of bad, really. She usually wasn't moved so easily. There was something about him, something that Jasmine couldn't decipher. Something that simply made sense. The way he spoke, the way he acted.

But that didn't mean she would forgive him, just yet at least, for asking to take away her first kiss.

Jasmine of Olivine left the rows of clothing behind and was welcomed into the bright lobby once more. Joanna was on her Pokégear, talking to somebody, and Volkner was leaning against a wall, his blue eyes distant.

Was he waiting for her? Or was he simply making sure she was safe and sound before heading off?

Jasmine slowly approached him, and cautiously placed a slender hand on his shoulder. He flinched and shook his head, turning towards the girl.

"Hey, Olivine. You all right?"

The brunette gave him a smile and a nod. "I'm fine, Sunyshore." Volkner felt his gaze lower and locked eyes with the girl. Ocean met forest, and mingled in silence. Jasmine felt herself drawn to him, and walked a bit closer, her right hand brushing with his left. Volkner stiffened at the contact, but felt his fingers lace around hers…

The sound of a camera flash broke them from their trance.

* * *

**a/n: Excuse me if I got Keira's name wrong. I was going from memory. :P I've mentioned the media so many times already that they were bound to come up eventually. Um...yeah  
**

***bricked***

**-RV  
**


	10. i'll follow you until you love me

**a/n: OVER 50 REVIEWS?**

**Wow, you guys rock. This is my first story to ever break the 50 review mark. *skips around happily* Thank you, so much! I'm glad you all like the story~!**

**Review & Fave, please and thank you.  
**

**-RV**

**

* * *

**

**-I'll follow you until you love me-**

Volkner immediately brought Jasmine behind him, their hands still interlocked. He knew how to deal with the paparazzi. When he was dating Candice of Snowpoint, he had been hounded by them.

"Volkner, can we have an interview?" The reporter asked, his camera still up and ready to snap photos of the Olivine native, who was currently trembling in her white sandals. Jasmine looked down and away from the camera. She would let Volkner get them out of this mess she brought them into.

"No." Volkner's blue eyes flashed with something the paparazzo thought was fury. Perfect. His hands clicked on the camera, once more, and another flash lit up the room.

"Oh come on, you come out of your gym for more than a day, and you're accompanied by the lovely Jasmine of Olivine! The news will love it!"

Suddenly, a growling lion appeared next to Volkner, electricity crackling in the Luxray's fur. Jasmine stared in awe; she would be able to see Volkner's battling skills in action. There must be a reason he was the famous 'shining, shocking star'.

"Let him have it, I don't like interviews." Volkner's simple command landed the reporter on the floor. His Luxray had used Spark, and caused the paparazzo's camera to explode into little, tiny, pieces.

He scoffed, and picked himself up, his glasses covered eyes narrowed and extremely pissed off. "I'm trying to get my big break here, and you're not helping. Go, Cranidos!"

The blond simply shook his head. "All right, whatever. If you want a battle, you'll get it."

Luxray roared and stood in front of its trainer, and Jasmine let go of Volkner's hand. She walked up next to him, and took out a pokéball from her cardigan pocket.

"Come on, Rusty!"

Half of the coordinators that had been preparing their pokémon for their debut, scrambled away from the Steelix that had appeared in the middle of their precious hall. The other half ran towards the battle, cheering on their favorites. Most of the cheers went for Volkner, many girls screaming for him. Jasmine flinched at the noise, but that was only for a second. She was ready to battle.

"All right, Iron Defense, follow it up with Iron Tail!" Jasmine yelled, as her large steel-snake roared, causing both paparazzo and Volkner to simply watch with their mouths open. The paparazzo's Cranidos was thrown across the hall, and landed against a wall, causing a large crack to appear behind it. Jasmine winced at the damage, and then shook it off. She would make the paparazzo pay for it.

The brunet man simply growled as his Cranidos hissed in pain. Rock didn't fare to well against steel, an advantage Jasmine knew she had. The dinosaur-like pokémon heaved and attempted to regain its balance, but failed. It fell to the floor, twitching sporadically. The reporter clenched his fists and screamed.

"Cranidos, Earthquake!"

The fossilized pokémon slowly got back on its feet, weakly following its master's orders.

Volkner's Luxray leaped in the air, and landed on Jasmine's Steelix. The Steelix took the damage for both of them, and Jasmine thanked the heavens for Luxray's quick thinking. Volkner laughed, as his Luxray let out another roar.

"All right, let's show Olivine how the Sinnohians roll. Charge, follow it up with Charge Beam!" The lion pokémon jumped off of Steelix's head, and soared through the air, as it gathered up electricity. As soon as it landed in front of the Cranidos, Luxray opened its mouth and let out the Charge Beam, hitting the fossil pokémon point blank.

Cranidos shook it off like it was a fly, a simple nuisance. "All right, Cranidos, Zen Headbutt!" The pokémon began running, with a bright blue light engulfing it's head, ready to tackle the Luxray.

Volkner smirked and Jasmine wondered why, with a tilt of her head. First of all, he was obviously at a disadvantage. Second of all, why would he laugh in front of a paparazzo who would clearly recite this battle to everyone who wants to hear?

"Superpower, Luxray." The lion roared and jumped, engulfing itself in flames, as it tackled the Cranidos, throwing it down to the floor. The fossil pokémon and the lion pokémon wrestled, but when the dust cleared, it was obvious who won.

"Ugh! Return, Cranidos!" The paparazzo gave Volkner a scathing glare as the cheer in the hall intensified. Volkner tried not to smirk, but besides himself, the gesture appeared on his face. The reporter ran off, exiting the hall in a rush.

"Great job, Luxray." The blonde's partner padded towards him, and bowed slightly. Volkner laughed and ruffled the lion's fur. Then his blue gaze turned towards Jasmine, who was currently chuckling to herself.

"What's so funny, Olivine? Enjoyed the show?"

Jasmine rolled her hazel eyes and patted her Steelix, her smile still evident on her face. The great snake-like pokémon gave out a victory cry, and then was returned to its pokéball. The brunette put the device back in her cardigan pocket.

"It was quite a shock, really. I really thought you were done for. A Luxray," She kneeled down towards the lion, and cautiously reached her hand towards its face. Luxray nuzzled the girl's hand. "Knowing Superpower is quite rare."

Volkner arched an eyebrow at his partner pokémon, who was purring like a Glameow under Jasmine's touch. "Well, for a long time I didn't battle whatsoever. I got sick of the lack of challengers. So…I had a lot of time on my hands." Jasmine tilted her head up towards the blue-eyed blond and smiled knowingly.

"Well, time is something that people need. I take it your fighting spirit's back, right?"

The green-dress wearing girl got up from her crouch, and dusted herself off. Luxray gave out a huff, annoyed by the lack of petting. Volkner nodded at the girl's question.

"Well, I had some help. My best friend, Flint…man, he pretty much dragged Dawn of Twinleaf Town to my door and demanded that I battle her. At first, I sent her away, like everyone else, but something about her eyes…they had the spark that I needed."

Jasmine began to laugh, her green eyes closed, and her arms wrapped around her stomach. Volkner was confused, what was so funny about that?

"What's so funny?" The military-man crossed his arms, and his Luxray seemed to smirk. After Jasmine regained her composure, she answered in a deadpan:

"You sound like you're completely in love with her."

At this, Volkner merely rolled his blue eyes, and attempted to stifle laughter that was bound to escape. "Well, I'm not in love with her, no need to worry about that, Olivine."

"What, you thought I was worried?" Jasmine couldn't help but notice the defiance in her tone. She would've never talked like this if she was in Johto. She was quiet, but with Volkner…

"Not really, you were laughing. I take that as a good thing." Volkner's grin was still evident, in the slightest of ways. "But her battling skills were something of history books."

"All right, whatever, Sunyshore." Jasmine stiffened at the sound of footsteps behind her, and quickly whipped around, hoping that a camera hadn't recorded their conversation. With a relief-filled sigh, she saw that the person approaching them was Keira.

"Jasmine, hello~ I want to apologize about the reporter that caused you trouble." The ex-Idol's brown eyes flickered past the brunette girl and widened to the size of dinner plates. "GOD, what happened here?" The pink-dress wearing woman ran towards the wall that had been damaged by the Cranidos. Her long fingers brushed against the ruined wall and she let out a sigh.

"This is going to take a while to repair…ugh." Keira twirled around, and was facing Volkner now. "Who did this?"

"Your reporter's Cranidos landed there." Volkner's tone screamed boredom, as if he saw broken walls and ruined halls every day. He probably did, Jasmine thought. He was a mechanic, and if he got bored of battling he would probably help others with their issues…or at least, that's what he did in her mind.

"All right, I'm going to have to talk to him, anyways…oh! Before I forget~!" She skipped towards the Olivine native and handed her a crisp piece of paper, with the words 'CONTEST PASS' inscribed on it in fancy, all capital letters, font.

"This is for the contests here in Hearthome. To participate you obviously need one of these. Good luck, Jasmine~!" Keira skipped away and Jasmine felt a drop of sweat form on the base of her neck. How did everyone in Sinnoh live so…happy-go-lucky? Well, mostly everybody. Volkner was an obvious exception.

Said-blonde's cell phone began ringing. Volkner narrowed his eyes slightly and fished the device out of his pocket. He flipped it open and pressed it against his ear.

"'Ello?"

On the other side of the line, and world, the local Sunyshore City Nurse Joy was frantically running towards Volkner's gym, while dodging fanatic teenage girls. The usually quiet, afternoon streets of Sunyshore were swarming with girls from all over the region, carrying signs and wearing t-shirts with various slogans like 'we love Volkner' and 'the shining star shocks my heart'. The thing they all had in common, however, was the lanyard they had around their necks. It read 'Volkner's Gym Tour, VIP'.

"Volkner, it's Joy. I have news for you." The pink-haired nurse skidded to halt in front of the Sunyshore Gym, where she saw a familiar red-head…

"Oh my God…um, you won't believe me but…um." Nurse Joy fumbled with her words, and Volkner's blue eyes widened ever so slightly. What was going on?

"What's going on, Joy?"

Teenage screams were heard, and Volkner had to pull away from the phone. "Joy?"

"WELL, I'M SORRY, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A HORDE OF TEENAGERS IN FRONT OF YOUR GYM!" Joy's shouts were barely heard, but Volkner managed to catch the message.

He became still. "…what?"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, FLINT'S SAYING SOMETHING. I'LL PUT YOU ON SPEAKER." Joy clicked a button on her phone and ran up the hill that housed the Sunyshore Gym, maneuvering through fan girls and the like, hoping that she could get close enough to Flint without being seen. The afro-sporting man was laughing and holding a microphone.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first annual home and gym tour of the shining, shocking, star of Sunyshore, VOLKNER!"

The screams were heard, and Volkner twitched. Jasmine tilted her head, in horror. If she heard right, Flint was holding a tour, open to the same kind of girls that Volkner hated.

"Joy, remind me to murder Flint in his sleep." Volkner seethed. Joy simply shook her head and awaited the rest of Flint's speech.

"Since most of you are VIPs, thanks to pre-ordering your tickets, I have a special deal for all of you! For only thirty dollars, you can go home with one of these!" Flint produced a hefty book from behind him, containing the title 'The Official Volkner Fanbook'. "If you're a true fan, you'll definitely need this!"

"What is he selling Joy?" Volkner yelled through the cellular device. The nurse attempted not to faint on spot from the sheer ridiculousness of the entire situations. There were hundreds of girls, taking money out of their pockets and raising it high enough for the red-head to see.

"…oh my God. Volkner, you need to call him, stat. Before this gets even more bizarre." Joy felt her grip on the phone slacken, and it fell to the floor and was demolished by vicious fans, running into the gym for the tour.

"Joy? Joy? JOY!" The line was dead and Volkner cursed under his breath.

"Please explain, I'm ridiculously confused and the only thing I got from that conversation is that Flint is making an insane profit from your fans." Jasmine's green eyes flickered with various emotions, one of them being anger. What was Flint's problem? Didn't he realize what kind of fit Volkner was going to throw because of his stupid prank?

Volkner pinched the bridge of his nose, as he took a couple of short breaths, attempting to regain his bearings. "You hit it right on the nail, Olivine. Flint is holding a tour of my home for a set amount of money. There's a shitload of girls there and there is no way in hell I'm going to standby."

His Luxray was growling and the blond turned towards the brunette. "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to get back to Sunyshore before pandemonium strikes."

Jasmine blinked three times in succession, until her mind managed to sort his sentence out. _He won't be able to see me perform_, the long-haired brunette clenched her fists. She could simply nod and say 'all right, have fun saving your gym, I'm going to go perform in the contests you brought me to, and pretend you're in the crowd'.

Of course she wouldn't say that, Jasmine was a Steel-type trainer for a reason. She didn't take no for an answer.

"I'll come with you."

Volkner gave the girl a look filled with disbelief. "You're kidding, right? No, you're not. You're staying."

Jasmine stepped towards him and Volkner put his hand on her shoulder, holding her back. He held her against a wall, both hands on her frame, and she glowered at him. She put her hands on his chest and attempted push him away.

"No, I'm going. You're going to need help." Jasmine's words were bold, her hazel eyes locked on his blue. They were so close, that Volkner could see that she was wearing the lightest of mascara on her brown lashes. She could see that he had flecks of gray in his eyes, and without rhyme or reason, she shut down the intellectual side of her.

Jasmine wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, into an embrace. She closed her green eyes, burying her face into the side of his neck as he stood in shock, not sure of what to do. Slowly, Volkner wrapped his arms around the girl, patting her back awkwardly, his chin resting on the top of her head. The blond sighed, and the brunette looked up, her green eyes meeting his blue.

_'Not those eyes…'_ Volkner begged the deity above; he wouldn't lose himself, not again. She blinked at him, and he bit his lower lip.

"Jasmine…I…" The blond fumbled with his words, still on the fence about letting her come with him. It was fair for her. She had spent three days in his car, waiting for Hearthome, and now to come back to Sunyshore…it would be a waste.

"Please, Volkner."

"No. It's not fair to you." He carefully unlatched himself from the girl's petite body and placed a hand on her cheek. "I'll be back to watch your contests, like I promised."

Jasmine felt electricity course through her veins, Volkner's touch gentle and reassuring. His words were what sealed the deal

_'He'll be back.'_ The girl from Olivine let go of Volkner and put her arms at her sides.

"You better be back, Sunyshore."

Volkner closed his eyes and nodded. He then opened his blue eyes, and gave her a salute. "You have my word, Olivine."

Jasmine smiled, and Volkner turned away, leaving her alone in the contest hall. Johanna and Keira talked in hushed whispers.

"_They're completely in love with each other!"_ Keira hissed and Johanna nodded in agreement. She had just finished calling her daughter, to confirm that she wasn't on a ferry to Lilycove. She was on a ferry to Lilycove, but alone. This was a relief.

"_I know, it's in their eyes!"_

Jasmine didn't hear their conversation. She placed her hands behind her back and leaned back, closing her eyes. Her contest debut would be tomorrow.

Outside, in his car, Volkner's head rested against the steering wheel. His mind was fuzzy, he couldn't think about anything that didn't involve Jasmine.

Was he sick, or something?

Okay, maybe not…but, the blond tilted his head back up and placed his hands on the wheel, while getting back onto the Hearthome streets. He would be back, as he promised.

Maybe next time, he would get another hug.

* * *

**a/n: PSSH, the last bit was stupid. Meh. JASMINE, YOU PUSH-OVER. **

**Jasmine: Shut up, RV.**

Thanks, AGAIN! :D

**-RV  
**


	11. i'm so confused, i must be losing it

a/n: Okay, everyone. I AM SORRY. I REALLY AM.

So, here's an excuse for you to ponder upon: I've been busy with life. I'm a Forensics girl and I have tournaments almost every weekend. I know that sounds cheap and stuff, but listen. It's like, my duty to do epic at those tournaments because my chances of going to college depend on those tournaments. Mhmm!

Oh, and I had the worse writer's block in the world for this chapter. But worry not, I HAVE PLOT. I spent these days plotting the rest of the story out. Yay! But, that said, please please please, don't think this fiction is dead. I get really sad when people stop reading stories that aren't really dead. DX So, listen up: I will TRY to update at least once a month. So don't freak out when there isn't any constant update. During the summer, I had much more time and my creative juices were at their peak. Now that it's school time...well, yeah. It's not as fun.

So, pretty please, don't leave this story. Alexandria needs its followers, badly. I plan on taking it to TVTROPES.

Oh yeah. So...thank you so much, you don't know how much this all means to me.

Thank you, once again~!

-RV

* * *

**-I'm so confused; I must be losing it-**

Volkner of Sunyshore hated traveling. His reason was justified, however. Traveling via car was exhausting and didn't get you fast enough to your destinations. Flying was much simpler, but finding a flying-type pokémon that he synced with wasn't something that was happening anytime soon.

So, he was stuck in a car for the time being. As Hearthome disappeared from his peripheral vision, and the marshes of Pastoria soon began to emerge, Volkner found his thoughts going back to the girl he left behind.

Jasmine, Jasmine, Jasmine.

The car seemed so empty without her in his passenger seat.

"Don't worry, Olivine. I'll be back soon." The Shining Shock Star whispered, mostly to himself. The rest was a promise, a prayer to Arceus above.

Volkner wasn't that much of a prayer, but hey, you do what you need to do.

Back inside the Contest Hall, Jasmine placed her hand on her heart and let a smile grace her lips.

"All right, today we're going to get ready. Tomorrow, we are going to win."

With that, the brunette girl turned on her heel and click-clacked away towards the exit of the Contest Hall, on her way to the local Pokémon Center. Jasmine was going to find an ad for an empty condominium and make some necessary monetary transfers to rent it. She was going to stay in Hearthome for a while, and finding a condo was completely essential.

The Olivine native maneuvered herself through the city crowd, careful not to step on anybody's toes, or get her hair pulled by irritating children in their strollers. With each step she took, she felt farther away from the blond that had left her just minutes before.

The thing was, she missed him. Yes, it seemed so cliché, missing a man after only moments of seeing him, but his arms around her felt so…right. It felt warm, it felt like home.

But no. The possibility of her falling in love…

Wait, hadn't she already discussed this with herself days before? It was getting ridiculous how many times her mind brought that issue up.

'_Maybe because…it's true?'_

The little voice in her head wasn't helping either. Jasmine shook her head and continued her walk, hoping to arrive to the Center as soon as possible.

After all, tomorrow was the big day.

* * *

**THREE DAYS LATER**

-INTERMISSION-

_[dear darling, i wish you were here._

_I know it sounds so weird hearing those words from me...but, it's true._

_I miss you._

_-Jasmine of Olivine. _

**sometimes, i don't know why you write letters to me.**

**i know that sounds ungrateful, but it's true. **

**your voice...your voice is what i want to hear. **

**i miss you too, olivine.**

**-Volkner of Sunyshore.]  
**

_

* * *

_

Volkner of Sunyshore City stared at his best friend, his cobalt blue eyes flashing with rage. The red-head gave the blond a cheery grin and a wave, all while taking a couple steps back.

The Sunyshore Gym was a complete and utter mess. There was trash littered across the floor, glitter sprayed over the blonde's bedspread, and random photos of girls he didn't know with numbers emblazoned on them in lipstick occupied most of the once-visible floor.

"I really want to punch you right now." Volkner seethed, as Flint let out a nervous chuckle. The lanky male ran a finger through his messy red afro before attempting to make a rebuttal.

"Uh, well you were…uh, gone and I was…uh…"

"YOU LET ABOUT THREE THOUSAND FANGIRLS INTO MY BLOODY HOME FOR THREE FREAKING DAYS AND DID NOTHING TO STOP IT." Volkner shouted, the vein in his neck popping out. Flint cringed at the noise as Volkner continued his rant.

"INSTEAD, YOU FREAKING ENDORESED IT."

Flint ducked a punch that landed on the wall. Blood seeped from Volkner's bone-white knuckles, as the blond shook in pure rage. Flint didn't know what to say. The entire event had been a joke, a little fun. It wasn't supposed to become a fan girl's home base. It had started innocently enough.

* * *

_Flint cackled while the resident Sunyshore Nurse Joy was being carted away from the scene by an Officer Jenny, waving a large scrapbook containing copies of Volkner's face, plastered across the pages. Money was being thrown at him, first it was one dollar bills, but now, the number reached one hundred, or more. He picked the money up and handed books to raving girls, who squealed in delight at the sight of their favorite blond gym leader._

_And then, while cheers erupted from the teenage crowd, Flint received a phone call. Perplexed by the random turn of events, Flint checked his Pokégear and almost threw it in the crowd (which would have been a bad idea, being that he had Volkner's phone number in there)._

_Why was Candice of Snowpoint City calling him during this crucial hour? The red-head furrowed his eyebrows and raised a hand up towards the crowd, who hushed at the sight of a perplexed Flint._

_What was going on?_

_"…all right everyone," Flint started, distractedly, "go on ahead to the gym, and FOLLOW THE YELLOW TAPE ROAD, GOT IT?" The fangirls squeed in unison before sprinting into the gym, leaving the red-head outside, ear glued to the cellular device._

_"Hello?"_

_"Is this Flint?"_

_"…uh, yeah? Hey Candice."_

_On the other side of Sinnoh, sitting with her legs criss-crossed, Candice of Snowpoint City sipped a cup of hot chocolate daintily, before replying to Flint's greeting. Her long black hair was in its usual braids, and instead of her short, khaki, skirt, she wore faded blue skinny jeans. The fabric was so faded that it wasn't blue anymore, but white, and the only reason she wasn't wearing her usual skirt was because her doctor forbade her to do so in fifty-degree weather. Apparently, it was bad for her health or something._

_"Hi Flint, I wanted to know if you were busy."_

_Flint dropped the Fanbook he was previously holding, as its contents spilled onto the floor. What kind of question was that? No, the better question was, 'why the hell was his best friend's ex-girlfriend calling him of all people'._

_"No, I'm not busy. Why do you ask?" Flint's tone was gone of all its usual joyfulness and was replaced by a curt, almost business-like tone._

_"I need to talk to you about something. You see, I have a friend who just came from a different country and I need someone to take care of her." Candice checked her ice blue polished nails before continuing. "I know that you probably think I'm lazy as hell for not taking care of her but…trust me, she'd be better off in Sunyshore than Snowpoint."_

_Flint let out a sigh before answering. "Who's the girl? I think I understand the dilemma. She doesn't fare too well in the cold, right?"_

_Candice let a small grin grace her lips. "Her name's Furou. I think you'll enjoy her company. She'll be at the Snowpoint Harbor in four days. Be there, all right?"_

_The line went dead._

_Flint groaned as he stuffed the Pokégear in his front pocket, annoyed at the sudden turn of events. In four days, he would be braving the great blizzards of Snowpoint, and that was something he rather not do, thank you very much._

_So, after that fantastic phone call, the tour continued. Flint entered the home to find girls crawling all over the place, taking pictures on every surface of whatever they could find. Twenty of them were taking pictures in the bathroom, a couple where in Volkner's bedroom, updating their preferred social network site._

_It was ridiculous how many girls paid over seventy dollars apiece to take pictures in their idol's home._

_The next day, everything got worse. Girls were flying in from Hoenn, Johto, and even Kanto, in order to get a peek into Volkner's abode. Flint was getting rich, but it was getting hard to control the swarming mass of females that desperately wanted to kick-drop Flint whenever he arrived in order to steal something that belonged to the Shining Shocking Star._

_On the third day, Flint had enough. He was stressed out, annoyed, and was going to punch something if the girls didn't leave._

_The full story on how Flint managed to get rid of the fangirls is too long to post and format into something enjoyable. Long story short, Flint's Infernape sent a lot of girls back home, sobbing hysterically._

_And now…_

_

* * *

_

Flint stared at Volkner with the most sincere and apologetic face known to man, or Pokémon. "Dude, I'm really sorry. I screwed up."

Volkner lowered his fist and let out a sigh, still angry but not completely enraged. "…all right. I accept your apology. But…" The blond pointed at a broken broom that lay in the middle of the living room. "You're cleaning up this mess."

Flint grinned ecstatically and patted Volkner on the back. "Thanks Volk! I promise to get this mess cleaned up, in a jiffy! But, first, you gotta tell me something."

Volkner arched an eyebrow at his friend's request. "…what?"

"What happened to Jasmine?"

'_I wish he didn't ask me that.' _Volkner thought bitterly, as he clenched his fist. "Olivine's in Hearthome, making contest history. Her skills are fantastic."

"Did you see them, live?"

Volkner shook his head. "No. I was watching at the Pokémon Center I stayed in last night."

Flint cocked his head to the side. "Wait…so…that means…VOLKNER, YOU IDIOT! YOU LEFT THE GIRL ALL ALONE?"

Now it was Volkner's turn to cringe. "Yeah, I have no idea why I did that…wait. Now I remember. It was because I got a phone call from the local Nurse Joy who said that you were holding a freaking gym tour at my house!" Volkner pointed a finger at Flint, and smirked. "Now, I blame you for leaving Jasmine all alone. Congratulations."

Flint crossed his arms and huffed. "Not fair. Not fair at all…oh crap. I gotta go." Flint turned on his heel and began sprinting towards the door, as Volkner's face flashed with confusion.

"Hey, Flint, where are you going?" Volkner yelled, as he ran after his best friend.

Jasmine of Olivine, the girl currently wearing her usual green dress, sat on a park bench in Amity Park, smiling slightly to herself. She held a beautiful ribbon in her hand; the engraved gold sparkled under the street lamps, like little stars. She had won her first contest, wow. That was…amazing.

It was all thanks to Volkner that she had been able to arrive to Hearthome City. But now…

It was almost time to go back home. With a sad smile, Jasmine pocketed her ribbon and made her way back towards the apartment she rented, for a well-deserved rest.

* * *

**a/n: 0_o That is probably your reaction to the 'Intermission'. Trust me, it doesn't matter right now, but later on, THAT LITTLE PIECE RIGHT THERE WILL BE SUPER IMPORTANT.**

**oh, and thank you for reading!**

**-RV  
**


	12. because your explanations

**a/n: Welcome to another chapter of _Alexandria! _Since I'm on break, I think I'll be able to churn out TWO more chapters before school starts in January. That's my goal~ 8D (Besides getting on TVTropes, of course. *coughs*) Anyways, I want to thank you all for your reviews, because it's because of reviewers like you that I get up in the morning and think about this story.**

**Or something like that. I'm serious guys, thank you so much. You don't know how much this story means to me. I would send you all cookies, but I can't because that would be stalker-ish and scary.**

**Thank you, so much once again~!~**

**ENJOY~ :D**

**-RV**

**

* * *

****-your explanations don't need to be wasted-**

Tick, tock, tick, tock, the clock on Jasmine's desktop counter rang, as the brunette girl groaned and rolled off her bed. Her pigtails weren't up, so her hair was completely down and bangs that came out of nowhere (technically, they came from her pigtails, but that's getting technical) covered her hazel eyes. Speaking of which, they were hitting brown lately.

"Is it morning already?" The girl's Magnemite buzzed and whirred, floating towards her, tugging gently at her hair. Jasmine stifled a yawn and rubbed at her eyes, in a lame attempt to regain coherency.

"All right then, fine. I have to go buy some groceries and…stuff, anyways." Jasmine mused, as she picked herself up from the floor, made her bed, and began her morning ritual. She showered, blow-dried her hair, put her bangs up into the two little twin pig-tails on her head, and brushed her hair. She put on her new sea-green dress with the red bow on the front, and a white cardigan to finish the look off. Her Magnemite fetched her shoes, and Jasmine thanked them, while slipping on the white sandals.

When she was ready, Jasmine went out the door, on her way to the Hearthome Market, with the intention of buying some needed items. She maneuvered through the streets like a seasoned local, and it was only her third day in the bustling metropolis. She went to the Contest Hall thrice a day, went to Amity Square everyday to simply walk or muse on one of the iron-wrought benches, legs crossed at the knee, a sketchpad balanced on her lap. If she wasn't there, she would visit the gym, to chat with the gym leader there, Fantina, a ghost type-master. Fantina was happy to see a tourist in her city, so she treated Jasmine like royalty, but Jasmine wasn't a big fan of the special treatment she received so she quietly told the secretary to pass on the message to Fantina that if the ghost-type leader wanted Jasmine to visit her again, she need to stop getting fancy butler to receive her at the door.

But, besides all of that, Jasmine still felt lonely. She felt lost in the city, even when she was born in a large town herself. It was all the technology, she decided after spending an hour trying to figure out what made her feel so alienated from Sinnohian society.

On the third day, she realized what she was missing. She missed the blond gym leader from Sunyshore City. She missed their conversations, she missed their car rides, and she missed their…everything. She missed Volkner. There was no call, no nothing. He hadn't looked for her, or come to watch her contests, like he promised.

This depressed Jasmine the most. He didn't come back, he broke his promise.

The girl shook her head, as the cashier at the PokéMart called Jasmine to attention.

"Do you want the Heal Ball or not?" The cashier was bored, and obviously irritated by Jasmine's lapse of concentration. Jasmine shook her head and left the cashier, mumbling incoherencies, as she exited the store. She had forgotten why she even went to the store. Most likely to get warm, or something; even though Sinnoh was currently in the summer season, Hearthome usually had a cold front coming in every other day.

Jasmine sighed as she made her way towards Amity Square, where her favorite bench waited. She needed to think.

Her Pokégear began to ring, and Jasmine flinched at the noise. The cellular device never rang, and now that it did, it sparked hope inside of Jasmine's chest, and the girl's lips twitched into a giddy grin. She reached for her Pokégear, stuffed in one of her cardigan pockets, and she pressed the 'talk' button, without checking to see who it was calling her.

"Hello?"

On the other side of Sinnoh, half of his body in a snow pile, the male smiled.

"Hey, Olivine. I'm getting on the next train to Hearthome."

* * *

Volkner of Sunyshore held the Pokégear to his ear, and Jasmine of Olivine dropped it in her state of shock. Volkner heard the 'thunk' and let out a laugh, his laughter echoing in the nearly empty city. Snowpoint City was usually bustling with activity, but today, on a summer day no less, people were inside, in the warm comfort of their homes. Flint was on double duty; not only was he Candice's visitor's escort, but he was Volkner's bell boy. Volkner thought that he had let him off the hook too easily, so now, Flint was Volkner's personal servant, a good method of enacting revenge.

Speaking of Candice's visitor, and Flint to add to the matter, where were they? Half of Volkner's mind wondered about this, while the other half concentrated on the conversation at hand.

Jasmine quickly picked up the Pokégear and laughed in response. "It took you long enough, Sunyshore. I'll be waiting."

Volkner grinned, an honest to goodness grin, the people of Snowpoint City (well, the people outside) murmured amongst themselves, for they had never seen him smile. Not once, not ever.

"You won't be waiting too long. See you in a couple of hours."

The line went dead, and Volkner adjusted his blue military coat as he turned around and plodded through the snow, his destination being the Snowpoint Pokémon Center, where most likely, Flint was with his guest, complaining about the cold. Flint hated Snowpoint City and everything it stood for, only because he couldn't wear his flip flops and was forced to borrow some boots from Volkner.

When he arrived to the Pokémon Center, Volkner's cobalt gaze scanned the lobby, until he spotted Flint's obnoxiously red afro. The blond male jogged towards his friend and when he reached where Flint was sitting, he almost keeled over, on the spot.

On Flint shoulder, asleep and utterly content, was Furou of Fukiyose City, Isshu. She was a gym leader, a _gym leader! _Candice was friends with one of the most skilled people in the _world! _Volkner's mind was reeling from the information; long ago, when Volkner was appointed gym leader of Sunyshore, he had the pleasure of engaging in battle with Furou, only to be completely demolished by her attacks. Sure, Volkner had the type-advantage, but Furou had the brains. She knew how to use the field in her favor, and since her Pokémon were obviously air-borne ninety-five percent of the time, she used that to her advantage to, making it ridiculously hard for Volkner's Luxray to hit any Furou's Kokoromori- those gosh dang bats!

So yeah, Volkner was impressed that Candice had managed to befriend Furou. It was interesting, though, why did Furou even come to Sinnoh, especially without…her.

Volkner took a couple of steps back and stayed close to the wall. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. There was a reason he disliked Furou, however. It wasn't because of the red-head, no, it was because of the red-head's best friend. Her name was Kamitsure.

She probably still hated him. It was a Kamitsure thing; she held grudges like it was nobody's business. They chatted, exchanged letters, but nothing very serious. He left Isshu one day, and the next thing he knows, she goes completely insane and drops about twenty pounds, becomes a model and breaks the hearts of almost every man that lays his eyes on her.

Maybe Volkner wasn't to blame, but it sure felt like it. The man sighed and returned to where Flint and Furou were, and he tapped his best friend's shoulder.

"Hey, bell boy." Flint twitched under the contact and looked up, his eyebrow arching in question. Volkner continued. "I'm going to go now. Don't try anything funny with Furou, because I will find out, and the people from Isshu will too. Get it?"

Flint nodded and flashed a weary grin at Volkner. The red-head man was tired; he hated the weather and felt groggy in the presence of snow. He just wanted to curl up on the couch and fall asleep again. The blond noticed, so he waved goodbye and turned around, before exiting the Pokémon Center.

Volkner shuffled through the snow, adjusting his coat collar before continuing his journey to the Snowpoint Train Terminal. His black boots were stained with white slush, and Volkner found himself sprinting to the station, the need driving every sense in his body, he needed to get to the train station, get to Hearthome, he promised her and he intended on keeping his promise. There were no exceptions, not one.

So when he slipped through the automatic glass doors, swiped his boarding pass through the ticket-check in, barrel-rolled behind a concrete pillar, in order to hide from a nosy fan girl, and finally entered the train that would take him to Hearthome, he was surprised to find it almost completely empty. The train was plush, yes, with the best seats and amenities for long trips. Volkner took a seat in the back, and closed his blue eyes before attempting to catch some shut-eye before his arrival to Hearthome. He wanted to see Jasmine when he was alert, not half asleep…

"Is that seat taken?"

Volkner jolted to attention and his gaze wavered up to see, oh my God, no.

"No." He answered, his voice turning curt, indifferent. Candice of Snowpoint City smiled a faux-smile that she reserved for pesky student-trainers at the Snowpoint Gym, and took a seat next to Volkner. Her black hair was in its usual braids and she wore her khaki skirt and blue sweater. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for her, except her eyes. They were darker; the makeup she wore was smokier, dangerous, even.

The train conductor called for last-minute riders, and when no one came up to the platform, the train chugged away at full speed, hoping to arrive to Hearthome City in less than five hours.

For Volkner, it was going to be a long, tedious, ride.

* * *

Outside of Hearthome City's Contest Hall, Jasmine sat on a wooden bench, her Magnemite whirring and buzzing around her, floating. The girl sighed and propped her elbows on her knees, her chin resting on her open-hands. It was late, ridiculously late, and here she was, waiting outside a Contest Hall.

Oh yeah, she was supposed to be waiting; after all, results for who was going to the Grand Festival in a month's time were going to be announced today. She bit her lower lip; anxiety could've been her middle name in that moment. Her Magnemite attempted to cheer her up by collecting flowers from nearby public garden and placed them in her hair. She smiled slightly and adjusted the stems, weaving them into strands of her brunette tresses, and there. Satisfied with her handiwork, Jasmine finally smiled, the smile reached her eyes. Her Magnemite blinked and whirred happily, thinking that their master looked like a fairy or, a person from a long time ago.

"It's nine," Jasmine commented, checking her Pokégear. It was getting chilly, and she desperately wished for a heavier coat. That would've been lovely right now. "Do you think he's here yet?"

The Magnemite buzzed amongst them and turned away from the girl for a second, before turning back. They nodded and Jasmine got up from her bench and flashed a grin.

"All right, guys, let's go." She brushed off her dress, and started the walk to the Hearthome City Train Station, about a mile away from the Contest Hall. On her way, she decided to truly sightsee, her hazel eyes flickering to and fro from the light posts to the people that populated the streets. There were lots and lots of different people, older people, younger people, thin people, big people, they were all here. It was just as diverse as the Sunyshore City crowd.

She smiled at the thought of Sunyshore City, and broke into a sprint. Her Magnemite followed fast, and Jasmine felt her spirits soar at the sound of a train pulling into the station, its bells echoing in the lively night-time city. She ran through puddles, water splashing all over the cobblestone streets, jumped over potholes, and finally after ten minutes of just running, she got to where she needed to be.

It's quiet, and Jasmine enters the train station; she looked around, and took a seat. She tapped her feet against the tile floor. One minute, two minutes, three minutes, four; Jasmine felt light-headed and she needed to take a breather. She got up and exited the station through the backdoor that led to a make-shift balcony that looked over rolling hills and plains. The cold night air slapped Jasmine in the face and she breathed it in, finally waking up from her anxiety attack. She needed to breathe; she needed to calm down, why was her heart beating so fast? Why did it beat so fast at the prospect of Volkner's arrival? It made no sense, no sense at all.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself, because Jasmine refused to believe in love, not now, not so soon.

"Welcome to Hearthome City, Snowpoint City travelers! Be careful on your way out, and have a good day, er, night!" The conductor announced, and Jasmine whipped around, slowly making her way back into the empty lobby, filled with plastic benches and bulletin boards with times and destinations. The girl quietly walked into the room and closed the door behind her, only to see a crowd of people enter the lobby, a swarm. Most of them wore winter coats, fluffy parkas, until her hazel eyes caught sight of a simply blue military coat, with orange orbs on the arms…

There he was; Jasmine felt her heart stop. He was beautiful, handsome, really. His cheeks were flushed, his cobalt gaze was bright, and his blond hair was perfectly messy. He was…gorgeous.

Jasmine felt herself put her hand on her chest, her beating heart thumping against her ribcage.

Volkner walked through the crowd, managing to lose Candice as soon as the conductor announced their arrival. He pushed through the mass of people, and he was looking for her, always looking for the familiar brunette with hazel eyes, the forest that he wanted to run in, for eternity.

He found her. She stood near the exit, cheeks rosy from the cold wind, hair in perfect place, even after the wind had whipped it and twirled it around. Her Magnemite wore what could pass as identical grins. He broke into a run, running towards her, and she looked up, their gazes locked and Volkner swept her off her feet. He lifted her off the ground, twirled her around, laughing, crying, as Jasmine held on to the blond male. Jasmine tilted her head forward, their foreheads touching, noses brushing; their faces were so close that Volkner could simply tilt his head up and brush his lips against hers…

So he did. He lifted his head up, ocean eyes met forest, and he leaned in for the kill. Volkner of Sunyshore kissed Jasmine of Olivine, and Jasmine did nothing to stop the act.

In the shadows, jaw dropped, eyes flashing in disgust, stood Candice of Snowpoint City, her Frosslass shaking her head besides her.

This was war, now. Candice exited the building, as Jasmine broke from the kiss. The lighthouse duo held each other, and Jasmine murmured to herself.

"_This must be what…love feels like." _She couldn't believe it, not at first but now…

She wasn't sure what she believed.

**ACT ONE HAS CONCLUDED.**

**

* * *

**

**a/n: So yeah. Thanks, and why don't you review while you're at it? That shiny button looks nice~! XDD**

**See you on the flipside!**

**-RV**


	13. it's a new day

**a/n: Welcome to another chapter of _Alexandria! _This chapter is sets the Grand Festival plot into motion! WHAT WILL HAPPEN? :O**

**That's for you to read and find out~~ ^^ Yay! **

**Enjoy~**

**-RV**

* * *

_**ACT TWO**_

**- it's a new day -**

It's morning. An alarm clock rings in the distance, muted by the consistent and loud chirping outside; the culprits were a flock of Starly, flying and cawing about, gliding from evergreen to evergreen, in the southeast corner of Hearthome City. Volkner of Sunyshore City is not a morning person. He wanted to murder the annoying birds with the help of his Luxray.

But he couldn't do that without getting a couple of calls from Cynthia, Flint, and the new group in Isshu, Team Plasma. Damn, he couldn't get away with anything nowadays!

So he decided to shove the alarm clock off its desktop position and watch it shatter into a million of little pieces. Satisfied with his handiwork, Volkner buried himself back in the sea of hotel blankets, blue eyes closing, allowing him to go back to sleep.

Then, to Volkner's sheer luck, there was a loud knock at the door, a fist rapping against the wooden contraption. Outside the door, Jasmine stood, wearing dark, faded jeans and a cowl-neck sweater. Her brunette tresses were still in their usual style, the two little pigtails keeping her bangs out of her eyes. She held a clutch, a black little bag that contained various items, one of them being her contest pass. Today was a very important day, and she needed Volkner to get up and out of bed, immediately.

"Sunyshore, get up already!" Jasmine shouted, pounding her fist against the door. Her Magnemite buzzed, their way of saying 'hush!', but Jasmine continued pounding the door.

Finally, a sleep-deprived, drowsy, and irritated Volkner answered the door, left eye slightly twitching. He was still in his sleepwear, black pants and a plain white shirt. His hair wasn't brushed and he looked like he rolled off his bed.

"There you are! We're supposed to go to the Contest Hall in twenty minutes!" Jasmine's voice was reaching hysterical volumes and Volkner let out a sigh before grabbing the unsuspecting girl's forearm and dragging her inside his room, closing the door behind her. Jasmine let out an 'eek' as she was pushed into a plush recliner, in the middle of the war zone that was Volkner's hotel room. Bed sheets were thrown all over the floor, pillows were still on the bed, pieces of an alarm clock were scattered over the bed sheets and carpet.

Jasmine blinked, once and then twice. "What do you do in here? Have a war or something?"

Volkner let out a grunt as he grabbed whatever he needed to take a shower, entered the bathroom, turned the water on and started his morning routine. As he did that, Jasmine decided to help organize the room by kicking things into a desolate corner, while trying to keep track of the time. Five minutes passed, and Jasmine heard the 'click' of the shower head being turned off. She double checked her hair, then her outfit, grabbed her clutch off the desktop that once held the alarm clock, and stood near the door, ready to go at a moment's notice. Volkner stumbled out of the bathroom, his blond hair still wet from the water, but he was fully dressed, wearing his usual black jeans, black shirt, and blue coat. He quickly ran a hairbrush through his damp hair, dropped the brush in the bathroom sink and turned towards the front door, flashing a lopsided grin at his new…girlfriend.

"Hey there."

Jasmine snorted, her chuckles echoing in the room, as Volkner rolled his eyes and took her hand, escorting her out of the room and out of the hotel.

They ran through the streets of Hearthome, sprinting and dashing towards the Contest Hall; Jasmine was running late and Volkner was trying to make it up for her by running as fast as he could. He was thinking about finding a plausible excuse that would allow Jasmine extra time to prepare for her grand debut in the elite contesting world.

At least, that's what Jasmine told him when they conversed about the Grand Festival. Jasmine had done the impossible; a new coordinator from a different Region managed to get herself into the Grand Festival. It was a feat unheard of since…forever. She was one of the first people to actually be able to enter the Grand Festival with five consecutive wins and zero losses.

She was becoming a legend.

Yet, Volkner hadn't seen her contest battle; not once. That caused a feeling of nausea to settle in his stomach - he needed to be prepared for the long, grueling hours that lay ahead for both of them. Jasmine needed to get to the Contest Hall, like, right now, and he needed to scope out a good seat.

The blond male grabbed the brunette's wrist - Jasmine shot him a perplexed glare, until her face morphed into a mask of shock. Volkner was pulling the girl ahead, they were running faster and faster, until the old-Victorian era building that was the Contest Hall entered their line of vision. The ex-military man dropped let the girl's wrist go and let out a sigh.

"Wow, I don't think I've run that fast since...a while." Volkner joked, while attempting to catch his breath. Jasmine let out a short laugh and quickly composed herself and gave the blond male a sincere grin.

"Thank you for getting me here on time - I gotta go and get ready." She wrapped her arms around him in a hug and let go a second later. "See you soon~" She waved goodbye and the Olivine native headed towards where the inside of the Contest Hall, with the intention of changing into her contest attire and getting her two Magnemite ready for the first round.

The clock was ticking.

Volkner maneuvered himself through the large crowd that gathered inside Hearthome City's outdoor Contest Stadium, an impressive building that held over a thousand competitors, spectators, and judges, and that wasn't including their loyal Pokemon, that had a section all to themselves. The blond hair male drifted through the wave of people, mumbling apologies when needed to, until he spotted an empty seat. The seat was in a good enough location, three floors up, and had a great view towards the stage. Volkner smiled slightly as he made his way towards his designated seat until he finally sat down on the silver bench.

While sitting down, the Sunyshore native people-watched. It was only ten minutes into his arrival and the stadium was almost completely packed. There were various kinds of people, the blond noticed, his lazy cobalt gaze flickering from one side of the stadium to the other. There were the new coordinators, with their thick-rimmed glasses and messy school uniforms, the seasoned professionals, showing off their prized Pokemon, and the intermediate group that seemed to blend into each other.

As Volkner waited for the grand event to begin, Jasmine was panicking in the dressing room. She looked everywhere, up and down, behind extravagant costumes and inside of opened boxes, but she couldn't find her first performance dress.

This was awful, a tragedy! Jasmine felt dizzy, and her Magnemite buzzed around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl's silver ball-gown. She couldn't lose the dress, not minutes before her Grand Festival debut...

"Um, excuse me, miss, are you okay?" A navy-haired girl tapped Jasmine's shoulder, and the brunette whipped around to face a much younger female. The girl had her navy tresses up in a curly up-do, with star barrettes taming her bangs. She wore a blue and white dress, with an off-the-shoulder cut, a one-sleeved ordeal. The hemline of the simple dress hit the girl's kneecaps and just by looking at her, Jasmine felt herself panic again, because the contest was going to start soon, and she wasn't ready, and oh my God, no, no, no!

"I'm sorry, not really, um, ah." Jasmine stumbled over her words and attempted to regain an once of coherency. The girl tilted her head and the brunette let out a sigh, dropping to her knees, placing her face in her hands. "I can't find my dress anywhere and I'm the fifth one up!"

The blue-haired girl's lips curled into a soft smile, as she crouched down next to the wailing brunette. She patted Jasmine's shoulder and motioned for her Empoleon to come closer. "Do you have a silver dress, by any chance?"

Jasmine peeked behind her extended fingers and nodded mutely. The stranger smiled and got up, turning towards her Empoleon and took a garment bag out of the emperor penguin Pokemon's feathery-hands. "Here you go, we found this in our dressing room. Just your luck, huh?" The girl grinned and Jasmine blinked, once, then again, before taking the dress out of the younger girl's grasp.

"Thank...you." Jasmine sniffled, wiping away a tear that had managed to escape. "Um, what's your...name? I'm...sorry, I must've been such a bother...to you. I'll...um, make it up or something. I'm Jasmine."

The girl chuckled and shook her head. "No need to pay me back, or anything. I'm Dawn, nice meeting you. Good luck today, you hear?" Dawn turned on her heel and waved, running off towards the main lobby of the Contest Hall, the lobby that would lead to the outdoor spectacle called the Grand Festival.

Jasmine held the bag tighter and ran off to the nearest changing room. After locking the wooden door, she yanked off her sweater and jeans and slipped on the silky, shimmering, dress. The dress ended at her ankles, the satin felt ethereal on her skin - like the softest cashmere caress. There wasn't much of a design to, it was simple, like Jasmine liked things. The dress was strapless, with detached sleeves that doubled as gloves, and an antique brooch was nestled where her usual bow would be in the front of her other dresses. She quickly kicked off her sandals and pulled on a pair of black ballet flats, and after that, she ran a brush through her messy hair.

Her eyes slowly wavered towards the mirror and Jasmine smiled. She looked fine; it was a pretty good recovery, if you asked her. She grabbed her items and stuffed them into the garment bag before busting out of the dressing room, her Magnemite following dutifully.

Outside, however, the festivities had already begun. Volkner stood on his feet when the Sinnoh National Anthem blared out through the speakers, and the master of ceremonies, Marian, was already introducing the panel of Grand Festival judges. The curly-haired woman twirled and dipped, wearing a daring number; she was wearing a flashy cocktail dress the color of roses.

Volkner looked anxiously into the mass of coordinators that stood in a straight line, in front of the makeshift curtains- he saw Dawn, the some-what love interest of his last challenger, Barry, Fantina, but that was expected of her, but he didn't see the person he traveled across the region to see.

Where was Jasmine?

"I hope she's okay." Volkner muttered his cobalt gaze dimming for a second. He sat back down as soon as the anthem ceased and crossed his legs at the knee. Well, he would wait for her, hell, he would wait forever if he had to.

Jasmine sprinted in her black ballet flats across the stage, taking her place behind entry number nine, some hopeful all the way from Hoenn. The brunette hastily patted down her dress as the gunshot that signaled the beginning of the official event echoed in the summer air.

The appeal round had begun.

* * *

**a/n: Okay, you're probably all wondering one of the following:**

**1) Why are the chapter titles not making sense anymore?**

**2) WHERE'S CANDICE?**

**3) What was with the entire Kamitsure issue in the last chapter?**

**4) Is _the red queen syndrome _part of the Alexandria-canon?**

**5) What IS the Alexandria-canon? Your last explanation in The Glass Passenger sucked.**

_**Here are your answers!**_

**1) The chapter titles still make sense, my friend. All the act one titles, when put together, create a message. What the message is...will be revealed...eventually.**

**2) Candice is somewhere. ;D**

**3) I like Chekhov's Gunman. **

**4) I'm not sure yet. It seems like a fun idea...so yes~**

**5) All right. *sigh* **

**Alexandria (the red queen syndrome takes place in the middle of Alexandria) - like glitter and gold - The Glass Passenger. **

**Our Twisted Fairytale is not part of the Alexandria-canon, because that would mean Volkner would have to die. I don't plan on killing off Volkner.**

**Unless, you, like want me to. ^^;**

**Thanks, again~~**

-RV


End file.
